Lack of players
A host of injuries has left Antonio Conte with limited outfield numbers for Tottenham's final four games of the season. Already without Matt Doherty, Japhet Tanganga and Oliver Skipp for the remainder of the campaign, the head coach hinted in his pre-match press conference on Thursday that Sergio Reguilon possibly may not feature again this term due to his groin problem.
At a stage in the season when every manager would like every single player available, Conte and Tottenham are going to have to do the best they can with the players who are fit as they look to secure a top-four finish. Asked in his press conference if he has handed Fabio Paratici and Daniel Levy his shopping list for next season, the 52-year-old joked that his list would be very long at present as Spurs are finishing the campaign with only 15 players.
"[Laughs] No, no, no. We're totally focused on this season. Also, because I repeat, we're finishing this season with only 15 players and at the moment it's not convenient to give them a list, because the list it would be very, very, very big!" he said. "You understand? It's not a good moment to give them the list."
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So who are the 15 players available to Conte ahead of the final four games? football.london took a look at the club's latest training video and photos.
Not including goalkeepers Hugo Lloris, Pierluigi Gollini and Brandon Austin, Spurs had 15 senior outfield players involved in Thursday's training session at Hotspur Way. Emerson Royal, Cristian Romero, Eric Dier, Ben Davies, Davinson Sanchez, Joe Rodon and Ryan Sessegnon were the defenders involved, with Rodrigo Bentancur, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Harry Winks the midfielders training.
Attacking players Son Heung-min, Harry Kane, Dejan Kulusevski, Lucas Moura and Steven Bergwijn brought the total to 15. Harvey White and Dane Scarlett, who have been regulars in the squad in recent months, were also involved in the session but they cannot be really classed as senior players due to their lack of minutes on the pitch for the first team.
Boosting the numbers
In order to boost the numbers involved in the session at Hotspur Way, a handful of the club's talented youngsters were called upon to join in training. With the likes of Doherty, Tanganga and Reguilon not available due to their injury issues, three defenders from the academy were drafted in due to the dwindling numbers.
Malachi Fagan-Walcott, who made his senior Tottenham bow in the Champions League against RB Leipzig in March 2020, trained with the rest of the first-team squad as did Kallum Cesay. Right-back Marcel Lavinier was also present once again after taking his place on the bench last month for the 1-0 defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion.
If injury strikes again in the run-in and Conte has to do without Emerson then Lavinier may well get his opportunity with not a lot of cover in that area of the pitch as things stand.
Craig trains
Academy player Matthew Craig was also spotted in the training session ahead of Saturday's Premier League showdown against Liverpool. Named on the bench earlier in the season in the Europa Conference League for the away games at Pacos de Ferreira and Vitesse Arnhem, the 19-year-old was included in a Premier League squad for the first time last weekend as he took his place on the bench vs Leicester City.
Mainly used in the holding role in midfield, Craig also gives Tottenham plenty of options as he can also operate across the backline. Perhaps not a regular in first-team training in the past compared to some of his fellow academy players, the youngster is clearly doing something right at present and he will be hoping to make the trip to Anfield on Saturday.
Gollini the joker
Gollini has made quite the impression on the Tottenham squad since joining the club on loan last summer from Atalanta. The Italian is a player everyone seems to get on with, and that was evident during Thursday's training session at their Enfield base.
Spotted having a laugh and joke with Emerson in the gym, the shot-stopper was then doing likewise as the players prepared to go out for training. Joking about with Son as they both grabbed hold of each other, another photo showed the Tottenham attacker sat down next to his teammate with his arm around him.
Spurs have a decision to make over Gollini ahead of next season as they do have the option to sign him permanently. He will certainly be missed at the club if they do not take up that option and he instead returns to his homeland.
