Ange Postecoglou will combine rest and hard training for the Tottenham Hotspur players as they relish a rare weekend off from competition.
Half of the teams in the league had this weekend off due to the Premier League’s deployment of a split winter break, while the other half will have no games this coming weekend. Sunday night saw Tottenham return from Manchester after their antics in the 2-2 draw against United at Old Trafford. On Monday, they resumed training at Hotspur Way, with the starting lineup going through their recuperation process.
With Arsenal, Spurs’ north London rivals, travelling to Dubai, other Premier League managers have chosen to spend a portion of their week at a warm-weather training camp. But Postecoglou made the decision not to do so, and he will now train with his players at Hotspur Way.
The decision to once again assign the north London team a Friday night FA Cup encounter, this time against the defending Premier League winners Manchester City, has left Tottenham with a 12-day gap between games. Some teams have had their winter break shortened even further because FA Cup replays take place during that time, negating the purpose of the break.
After winning against Burnley, Spurs earned a weekend off from football and no longer have any problems.CNN knows that Postecoglou has advised his players that they can take another lengthier respite throughout these 12 days to recuperate their bodies. This week, they will work on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday before going back to work to be ready for the cup matchup with Pep Guardiola’s team.
Many of the Spurs players will most doubt use the chance to capture some winter sun themselves with a quick trip and the rare relief from the Australian’s fun but intense sessions which imitate the rhythm and length of matches.
On Sunday, Postecoglou acknowledged that he is at a loss for what to ask of his weary and injury-plagued team, which was left without 11 players at Old Trafford due to international absences and a sickness that has been circulating among the players in recent days.
That explains our current situation. Everything is going our way, which is why we’re not here,” the Australian stated. “I believe that no one who provides unbiased analysis of our season will claim that it has been an easy year for us. The sole reason we find ourselves in this situation is due to the players who are willing to put aside the difficulties we face and give it their all.
“These guys are giving me everything, whoever is out there, whether it’s guys playing out of position, guys who haven’t played in a while, guys coming back from injury, they just offer everything. Although things aren’t always easy, when managers witness the amount of work these people put in every week, they can’t help but feel like they’re in the right place.”
