Antonio Conte really does have limited options in attack as things stand following the news that Son Heung-min will undergo surgery. Sustaining a blow to his face midway through the first half of Tuesday's Champions League win against Marseille, Tottenham confirmed 24 hours later that the South Korea international must go under the knife to stabilise a fracture around his left eye.
Now set to miss Sunday's Premier League clash against Liverpool as a result, Son's absence hands the Spurs head coach a big decision to make in terms of his attack. Without Dejan Kulusevski since September's international break due to a hamstring injury and a calf issue keeping Richarlison on the sidelines, Conte and his coaching team need to devise a plan for when the Reds visit N17.
So who could replace Son in the Tottenham starting XI this weekend? football.london takes a look at three possible options.
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Lucas up front
Son's early exit against Marseille on Tuesday night saw the Lilywhites switch formation and go with a midfield three as Yves Bissouma was introduced. Conte could go again with the setup against Liverpool, especially with a lack of attackers to choose from.
That would then see Lucas Moura operate alongside Harry Kane in attack. Maybe not the Brazilian's best position as he has a wealth of experience playing from the right flank, he has had to play centrally for Tottenham a number of times in the past when Kane has been absent.
Liverpool have had issues at the back this season, though, and Lucas' pace could prove vital against them if he is given a chance to go through on goal. Doing well in his 45 minutes on the pitch last Saturday against Bournemouth, he will be intent on doing likewise if he gets the nod once again.
Perisic higher up
A 3-4-3 has been Conte's formation of choice since his arrival at Tottenham one year ago, with 3-5-2 used on a handful of occasions. This weekend it may have to be the latter setup against Liverpool due to the injuries in attack.
If the boss does want to persist with 3-4-3 despite a lack of choice, he could choose to push Ivan Perisic into attack rather than having him play as a left wing-back. The Croat is no stranger to the position having been utilised there in the past and it would give Tottenham some more quality and experience in the final third.
With Bryan Gil clearly not ready for a Premier League start just yet in Conte's eyes despite his increased minutes from the bench of late, Perisic is perhaps his only option in a front three if he wants to go that way. Ryan Sessegnon would get the nod and start at left wing-back if his teammate is used higher up.
Play his Tottenham wildcard
Tottenham fans are desperate to see more of Bryan after some impressive cameo appearances over the past week. More minutes could come his way on Sunday against Liverpool, although he will very likely have to settle for them coming from the bench once again rather than the starting XI.
That is unless Conte decides to play his Spurs wildcard and go with the Spaniard from the off. However, it's hard to see him doing so after saying Bryan is a "really good prospect but physically is not so strong" ahead of the Bournemouth game.
Clearly reluctant to throw Bryan in at the deep end in the Premier League at the minute even against lesser opposition, it would be a major show of faith in the youngster if he was given the nod against one of the Premier League's top sides in Liverpool. The 21-year-old just needs an opportunity from the start of a match to show his manager what he can do.
Given the absence of some key attacking players, Bryan will still fancy his chances of getting some good minutes under his belt if the hosts need some more attacking quality on the pitch.
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