Tottenham Hotspur has had a relatively calm week with only one match under their belt and are gearing up to travel to Ipswich to secure their third straight Premier League victory. The upcoming fixture is notable not just for its significance in the league standings but also because it marks the first time since September 2023 that Spurs will play a 10 a.m. ET / 3 p.m. UK Saturday match.

In their previous encounter against Ipswich, Tottenham suffered a disappointing loss at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. However, with the team now out of relegation danger and gaining momentum, Spurs are optimistic about securing another crucial win.

Manager Ange Postecoglou held a press conference ahead of the match, highlighting the benefits of the extra rest days for Tottenham’s beleaguered squad. Despite three players picking up minor injuries in their last win, the team is in good shape with no fresh injuries to report. Postecoglou emphasized the importance of recovery and preparation, stating, “No new concerns. Sort of from last week, everyone sort of got through okay. The three guys who picked a knock up last week were all good.”

“We’ve got now two games in quick succession in the league. Good opportunity for us to get some match minutes into guys who have been out for a while. We saw Brennan and Wilson, obviously, Vic come back last week, Madders, but Destiny as well.”

“We need to get them some match minutes and these two games will give us an opportunity to do that. Then we’ve got a week before the first Europa game. We’ve got the weekend off. And again, that’s about the time we’re hoping that guys like Romero and Micky in particular they should be in and around that sort of mark. And Richie and Dom not too far behind, to be honest. And again, with that, we’ve got sort of two games before the international break. So we’re kind of mapping it out and trying to sort of navigate a way where we can have f as fit and healthy squad as we have all year for the run-in.”

Ange Postecoglou

The focus on Cuti Romero and Micky van de Ven suggests that Postecoglou is aiming to have his best XI available for the Europa League Round of 16 match against AZ Alkmaar in a couple of weeks. This could indicate a strategic prioritization of competitions or simply a reflection of the players’ injury recoveries and training progress.

“Yeah, [Cuti]’s had that and it’s going well. He’s in a good place. So, like I said, with him and Micky, it’s just picking our moment now. I’m really keen to get them back and have him back for the rest of the year. We’ve got a really good sort of period coming up where I think we can manage that where they’re back, they’ve had good weeks of training with us, so that when they do come back in, they’re in a good place. So, yeah, he’s still going well. It’s going well for him and he’s in a good place. I’m really keen to pick the right moment with him and Micky to make sure we’ve got them for the rest of the season.”

Ange Postecoglou

Postecoglou also discussed the importance of giving the squad extra rest to recover both physically and mentally. “I think it helps enormously because, I mean, there’s obviously the physical toll, which we kind of know and just their bodies being able to recover as much as anything else. And then, you know, like I said, mentally it does. It takes its toll because you don’t invariably get a lot of time to switch off when you’ve got games constantly because, again, you’re in recovery mode and then you’ve got to prepare for another game.”

“You don’t really have the energy to do anything else. So, you know, home life probably suffers a fair bit and the ability to switch off is difficult. So we gave the boys two days off for the beginning of last week. We did a similar thing this week.”

“And yes, I think you can see that in them that both physically and mentally they’ve really benefited from it. And sort of hopefully that means that the remnants of that long run has dissipated in their minds as much as in their bodies. But it’s also allowed us then to really train well because when they do come back in, they’re refreshed, they feel good and it means our training has become so much more sort of meaningful in the last two weeks.”

Ange Postecoglou

Postecoglou also provided insights into Djed Spence, who has become one of Tottenham’s standout players amidst the injury crisis. The coaching staff faced criticism from fans for not giving Spence earlier opportunities, but Postecoglou clarified that it was about Spence proving his dedication and work ethic. “I think with Djed, it was just we wanted to give him every opportunity and, you know, we knew that certainly there was a player there, but a lot of it had to be up to Djed himself.”

“And he’s just worked really awfully hard and stayed patient through that early period. You know, it could have been easy for him to get frustrated when he wasn’t playing a lot. There was opportunities for him to play and he wasn’t getting a run. I think looking at his attitude through that, I think there was real growth for him personally in that maybe in previous years, he might have sort of given up the fight and said, ‘you know, right, I don’t fit in here, let’s just move on,’ but he just kept going. That makes an impression on people around him, me, his team-mates and, he earned his shot at it and he’s just grown since then.”

Ange Postecoglou

Tottenham’s match against Ipswich Town is scheduled for Saturday at 10 a.m. ET / 3 p.m. UK. While the match is not televised in the UK, it will be broadcast on USA Network in the States and streamed on nbcsports.com. This fixture is crucial for Tottenham as they aim to continue their winning streak and solidify their position in the Premier League.