Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has shed some light on the team’s ongoing woes, revealing that Radu Dragusin and Archie Gray literally “left their sickbeds” to play for a diminished Spurs team. The revelation came after Postecoglou explained his decision to start the match against Newcastle without key players Heung-min Son, James Maddison and Yves Bissouma, leading to a disappointing 2-1 defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The club’s injury crisis intensified ahead of their first Premier League match in 2025, exacerbated by a virus which circulated among the squad during the week. With an impressive total of 10 experienced players unavailable, including Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Ben Davies, Mikey Moore, Wilson Odobert and Richarlison, the challenge intensified for the home side. Additionally, Fraser Forster was absent due to illness and Rodrigo Bentancur was suspended, leaving Tottenham badly reduced.
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As a result, third-choice goalkeeper Brandon Austin was thrust into the spotlight, making his senior debut for the club almost nine years after signing. Dragusin, the last senior centre-back available, was replaced at half-time, forcing the neglected Sergio Reguilon to come on and leaving Djed Spence and Gray to form an unexpected defensive partnership in the second half.
Postecoglou shed some light on the situation, saying: “Radu and Archie literally left their sickbeds to play today, and Radu was absolutely exhausted at halftime.” The Spurs boss acknowledged the mounting pressure, admitting he felt “angrier than ever in his career” after the defeat which kept the north Londoners firmly entrenched with just one win in their last eight league games.
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Asked for further details regarding the illness affecting his team, Postecoglou revealed that it was “just a virus.” He added: “Radu and Archie were bedridden all week. Fraser is still struggling with that, and there are a few others who aren’t doing well. By half-time Dragusin couldn’t give anymore. On Thursday we had literally 11 players fit for training.” This underlined the seriousness of the situation and the tightness of Tottenham’s squad.
In light of the squad’s struggles, fans were surprised to see captain Son, Maddison and Bissouma among the replacements. The three were finally called to the rescue after the hour mark, causing a surge of energy in the second half. Although it might have been anticipated that Son and Bissouma would be saved for the Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool, Maddison’s presence on the bench was curious due to his suspension for that match.
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Justifying the choice to reserve these key figures, Postecoglou noted: “It was a combination of needing energy and running power at the start of the match. My plan was that as the match progressed, we We would use the experience of the players coming in. I thought it worked well; we finished very well, and the only thing that stopped us was not football related. overall idea.
“Players like Sonny, Biss and, to a lesser extent, Maddison, have played a lot of minutes, and keeping them fresh is crucial for their mental and physical preparation. From my point of view, all three have had a significant impact when ‘they entered the arena.’
