Tottenham: Micky van de Ven injury raises fresh questions about future of League Cup

In galore respects, Tottenham's 2-1 triumph implicit Manchester City connected Wednesday was a large advert for the Carabao Cup.

Two of the Premier League's starring clubs, some fielding a blend of established stars and breathtaking youngsters, went toe-to-toe successful an entertaining match, lit up by 3 fantabulous goals successful the archetypal half.

The effect eliminated City, who person won the Carabao Cup six times successful the past decade, and maintained Spurs' hopes of a archetypal portion of silverware since 2008 successful the competition.

While it whitethorn person been breathtaking for supporters, however, this was not an juncture apt to endear either manager to England's secondary home cup, arsenic some sides suffered perchance consequential injuries.

Spurs brace Micky van de Ven and Timo Werner were forced disconnected with evident musculus problems, and Cristian Romero was besides substituted retired of precaution, portion City's Manuel Akanji pulled retired of the XI aft feeling discomfort successful the warm-up and winger Savinho went disconnected connected a stretcher successful the 2nd half.

Savinho and Van de Ven, who “felt his hamstring” according to Spurs caput manager Ange Postecoglou, some appeared successful genuine distress arsenic they near the pitch.

City are present down to the barest of bones, with 13 players sidelined and the champions needing to muddle done against Bournemouth, Sporting Lisbon and Brighton earlier the November planetary interruption offers immoderate relief.

“We are successful existent difficulty,” Pep Guardiola said. “The guys that play, they decorativeness astir of them with problems and we'll spot however they recover.

“I deliberation erstwhile we are successful trouble, similar we are due to the fact that successful 9 years it ne'er hap this concern with many, galore injuries for many, galore reasons.

“It’s been getting much hard crippled by game.”

Guardiola expects to person Kevin de Bruyne, Kyle Walker and Jack Grealish disposable again aft the planetary break, and said helium was hopeful Savinho “just had a knock”, contempt the winger being carried disconnected the transportation with his garment pulled up implicit his face.

Postecoglou was likewise optimistic connected goal-scorer Werner, who instantly signalled to the seat connected taking a corner, saying “hopefully it was much fatigue”, adjacent aft the German hobbled astir the perimeter of the transportation successful evident discomfort.

It felt harder to beryllium affirmative astir Van de Ven's complaint, though, with the Dutchman's look betraying his concerns arsenic helium trudged disconnected the field.

Van de Ven, who started astatine left-back, clutched the backmost of his close limb aft racing backmost to situation Savinho but was astatine slightest capable to locomotion down the tunnel.

The 23-year-old was sidelined for 2 months aft suffering a hamstring wounded astatine the aforesaid signifier of past season, and Spurs volition desperately anticipation his latest ailment is not truthful severe.

Postecoglou is already abbreviated of screen astatine centre-half, wherever Radu Dragusin and Ben Davies finished Wednesday's game, and determination is nary like-for-like replacement for Van de Ven anyplace successful the world. His quality to sprint backmost from Spurs precocious enactment to marque tackles is arguably a origin successful his hamstring problems but is besides a important information nett for Postecoglou's side, often helping Spurs to propulsion disconnected their high-wire enactment astatine the back.

Dragusin volition supply screen successful the Premier League but Davies and adjacent Archie Gray whitethorn besides beryllium needed astatine centre-half if Van de Ven is sidelined for a important period.

As some clubs waited nervously for updates, the upshot is much grounds of the progressively unconscionable unit connected players and caller questions astir this competition's spot successful a packed schedule.

The Carabao Cup is already being squeezed by UEFA's determination to grow its European competitions, successful which some Spurs and City are competing this season.

Extra-time has been scrapped earlier the semi-final signifier and the EFL volition surely person to chopped the two-legged last-fours successful the adjacent future, contempt managing to support the presumption quo for this season.

While City played similar they wanted to triumph successful northbound London, for Guardiola, who had antecedently said they would not “waste energy” connected the Carabao Cup, the effect was astir apt a relief, allowing the champions afloat absorption connected the Premier League and Champions League earlier the crook of the year.

For Spurs, by contrast, the triumph felt significant, mounting up an enticing quarter-final necktie astatine location to Manchester United; galore Spurs supporters would emotion the nine to prioritise the Carabao Cup but it is not wholly wide however the nine itself feels astir the competition.

Daniel Levy, the Spurs chairman, acknowledged past period that determination are “too galore games” successful the calendar and added that “the peculiar occupation is England is we person an other cupful contention compared to the remainder of Europe”, which sounded similar a veiled excavation astatine the Carabao Cup.

As the injuries heap up, the Carabao Cup appears to beryllium abbreviated of advocates successful positions of power, making it casual to wonderment astir the aboriginal of the competition.