do you think he will be back this season

in todays london evening standard


Jermain Defoe has yet to resume full training with his Tottenham team-mates despite Andre Villas-Boas claiming last week the forward was close to returning to first-team action.

Villas-Boas said before the first leg of his team’s Europa League tie against Lyon that Defoe could be back inside a week, after he suffered ankle ligament damage in the 1-0 win at West Brom on February 3.

Yet with Spurs due to travel to France today to defend their 2-1 advantage from the first leg, Defoe was not expected to be with them. The 30-year-old still hopes to be in contention for the north London derby at White Hart Lane in 11 days’ time but he had also earmarked Monday’s match at West Ham for a possible return. Unless the England international makes a speedy recovery, the Upton Park fixture would appear to be beyond him.

Defoe’s return cannot come quickly enough for Villas-Boas. Even though he had been subdued before the injury, his absence means Emmanuel Adebayor is the club’s only fit senior striker, and the former Arsenal player has yet to recapture the fine form he showed during last season’s loan spell from Manchester City.

Villas-Boas must also decide whether to play goalkeeper Hugo Lloris at Stade Gerland tomorrow. Lloris joined Spurs from Lyon for £12million last summer but was rested for the first leg, with Brad Friedel taking his place.

Where possible, Villas-Boas usually likes to have players taking on their former clubs as he believes it gives them extra motivation and benefits the team as a result.

Meanwhile, UEFA have still to decide a date to hear Tottenham’s appeal against the £8,600 fine they were handed for their supporters’ behaviour in the 0-0 draw against Lazio in Rome in November.

personally i think he will be out all season ,I think they will use this oppertunity to treat his long term problem, i know we are short of strikers but i think avb will jiggle formations to cover it because up till his injury defoe hasnt performed for quite a while now and maybe it was because of the underlying injury

 

The usual shroud of secrecy behind a Spurs injury...so who knows!

However, the keeper issue...is an issue! if Lloris is left out for Lyon, by the time the Spam game comes round on Monday night he won't have played a competitive game for 16 days. On the other hand will he try to hard at his old club? Its not an easy decision at all.

 

Initially they said 3 weeks. I don't think there's cause for concern yet.

 

Hopefully we're just being cautious in bringing him back. The last thing we want to do is rush him back and have him playing poorly as he's not fully fit or worse, aggravate his injury and have him unavailable for even more of the run in.

 

The target was the Arsenal game and that's still quite a distance away. No reason to panic just yet, as far as I can see.

 

goalkeepers don't need a rest,like outfield players,it shouldn't be an issue,he should be playing europa and P/L games

 

While watching the comedy last night i was wondering how each substituted player could have travelled more distance than the team average. Then i dawned on me that the goalkeeper is probably included in the average and therefore each outfield player does travel more than the average for the team.
Goalkeepers = Lazy

 

I did say before last weeks 1st leg that the plan was to play Brad in the home game and Lloris in the away game.

Regarding whether keepers don't need a rest, I'll refrain from biting on this.

 

"I'll refrain from biting on this."

careful tots!

 

i can't honestly see a problem,in the old first division day's there were more team's then the top teams had a european competition,player's played evey game,there was no squad rotation back then,if you were fit,you played

 

Robbie Savage told a story a while ago about just how lazy Benni McCarthy was.
When they were together at Blackburn their manager, Mark Hughes, made a point of showing them the Pro Zone stats after one game.
Brad Friedel had covered more distance than McCarthy!

 

You mean "Stay on his line Brad" actually covered more distance than an outfield player?

Oh no, what have i done?

 

Even snooker players need a rest.






I'll get me coat...

 

They said he'd be back for the NLD, so that's the target - not least because there's an article in the Standard sticking the boot into Ade this evening...

 

Keepers have an easy life, easy training, stand around trying to keep their body warm in a game (unless you're the goon keeper), they would get a stitch if they ran about for longer for a minute so they converse all their energy for the "Hoolywood Save"!.

ps. HI SC, you well?