Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou may now need to improvise.
Since arriving in the summer from Celtic, the 58-year-old has forged a remarkable transformation and deserves all the plaudits for taking a bruised outfit and nursing it back to full fitness in the Premier League – having won all three of the division's Manager of the Month awards so far.
But an inpouring of injuries and suspensions over the past two weeks has dented the title-chasing aspirations, with Micky van de Ven and James Maddison both sidelined until the new year and Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie both seeing red against Chelsea.
Van de Ven's void is particularly ominous, with the £43m summer arrival proving to be a masterful addition in central defence, and after defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers in his absence before the international break, Postecoglou might now be thinking of unorthodox solutions.
The players that could replace Micky van de Ven
Van de Ven's absence is aggravated by Romero's continuing suspension, with the Argentine World Cup winner still to miss two more matches.
Against Wolves, Eric Dier and Ben Davies formed an unlikely defensive axis in front of Guglielmo Vicario's goal, and while they didn't perform too badly – Davies in particular made some crucial interventions – they don't offer the same composure, confidence or progression to serve Postecoglou's system well.
While Spurs boast some talented young centre-halves who will be eager to step up to the plate, Postecoglou will not want to blow caution to the wind and throw inexperienced prospects into the deep end; Ashley Phillips, for example, started only five Championship matches with Blackburn Rovers last term, while Alfie Dorrington, aged 18, has yet to make his senior debut.
With this in mind, Postecoglou might be inclined to field Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in a deeper role than he is used to, with the experienced £100k-per-week midfielder reportedly suited to the task, according to TEAMtalk.
Pierre Hojbjerg's style of play
Hojbjerg is a central midfielder but he does boast certain qualities that could be carted down to the backline, having made 56 tackles in the Premier League last season.
In the top-flight in 2022/23, the 28-year-old completed 88% of his passes and ranked fourth in the squad for tackles made, as per WhoScored, so he could undoubtedly find success in this new touted role.
As per FBref, the Dane ranks among the top 15% of his positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 20% for progressive passes and the top 8% for clearances per 90, highlighting qualities that could serve him well in a makeshift new role.
And given that he has been described as a "monster" by compatriot Morten Bisgaard, he could bring the physicality and mettle to do a job in protecting from the rearguard while offering a ball-playing outlet from the back to align with Postecoglou's vision.
The disciplined 6 foot star would also offer leadership and has been noted for his importance within the squad by Postecoglou, despite only starting two league matches under his wing.
Whether such a change is enforced remains to be seen, but with contests against Aston Villa and Manchester City looming, Postecoglou will need to pensively question the reliability of Dier and Davies in the backline.
