Mason injury update

Whatever you asked Santa for this Christmas, I bet you would’ve made a late addition to your festive wish-list come Saturday afternoon. After limping off with a suspected twisted ankle against Burnley, Ryan Mason had the Spurs following well and truly worried.

Whether you can thank your lucky stars or even the big jolly Saint Nick himself for an early gift, the latest news is that Ryan Mason will be fit for our festive set of fixtures.

Not Santa, the Standard

Tom Collomosse of the Evening Standard has reported that Mason’s injury isn’t as bad as both the club and player first feared, and that there is an outside chance our number 38 could feature in our Boxing Day fixture away to Leicester.

The Standard also understand that Mason was in considerable pain for many hours following his withdrawal against The Clarets, and it is because of this that Pochettino may not want to risk the player come Friday.

Good news and great timing

Mason has quickly become a key man in Spurs’ midfield, but anyone who has followed the player’s development as the club will know that injuries have been a worrying issue.

If Mason is expected to miss out on our trip to the King Power Stadium, he will hopefully be fit for our next two fixtures – Manchester United and Chelsea at home. Following these two tough games, we then play Burnley away in the FA Cup, followed by Crystal Palace away in the league.

It is obviously vital for us that we have our best players available for this tough run-in and no-one more than Mason. With Nabil Bentaleb due to play for Algeria in the African Cup of Nations come January 17 (if Algeria win, Bentaleb could be away for a month), it would be a bitter blow to lose our best two central midfielders at present.

So with Mason on a quick road to recovery, what else could you ask for this Christmas?

 

Our two best players at the moment? I am sorry but this is simply not true. Both need to come out of this side, in my opinion. Bentaleb has potential, he is composed on the ball but is incapable of passing forwards. Lets hope he learns this in time. Mason is just not Premier League standard. He is also not a kid (older than Eriksen!). It is ridiculous that we have Dembele sitting on the bench with Mason playing every game. Stambouli and Dembele needs to be starting in that midfield two for Spurs.

 

While they may not be the best, they have certainly transformed our midfield. Mousa appears to be coming good of late but surely you have not forgotten how much time he was spending going sideways early in the season?

 

I Think both of them are over rated, I would play Lamela with bentaleb or Stamboli as number 8 like he used to play with roma, Using Erikson , Chadli and Dembele behind Kane

 

Dembele, you can't be serious, he has been a huge disappointment, non of the managers have got anywhere like his best from him. He slows the game down and basically runs sideways.

I thought Bentaleb and Mason did well against the Toon, less so against Burnley, but they do link well with the rest of the forward players.

 

If you re-read the piece you will find that I did not say they were our 'best players', but simply our 'best central midfielders at present', which I have based on form.

When I write that 'we need our best players for these tricky fixtures', I'm referring to a group of 'best players', which not only include Mason and Bentaleb but also Eriksen, Kane, Vertonghen, Lloris etc. etc.

 

Dear santa
we could do with a striker. Kane has done well so far this season. Adebayor must go in January he adds nothing to our team when he plays. Time is up we have given him so much time to blossom.

Please santa send us a striker.... coys.... to do is to dare. Tough few fixtures ahead. Let's make it count.

 

Didn't Stambouli and Dembele play against the Toon? I'm starting, and willing to come round to Poch, but his insistence on picking the same two for consecutive games irks me. I don't understand why he hasn't started Stambouli in the league, I don't see Mason and Benteleb bringing any muscle to the centre of the park. It should be one or other with Stambouli or Dembele. With so many games in the next two weeks we need to mix and match. Definitely need a mixture of steel and guile against United and Chelsea.

 

We have more cover in the center of midfield than anywhere on the pitch. Sadly however, we are also lacking real class there. Mason, Bentaleb, Demblele, Capoue, Stambouli, Paulinho, and Carrol out on loan. That's a lot of good midfielders, but no world class ones. Do the names Bentableb and Mason strike the same fear in you as Fabergas and Matic would, and would you back that central midfield to get you into the champions league places? No one will sign Abebayor this January with the wages he's on. Thankfully his contract is up at the end of the season and will not be renewed. That will be the time for a new striker (or two if Soldado is moved on). Along with another midfielder (Schneiderlein, ideally) would make us competitive next season. Chalk this season up to a loss, lets go for a cup run the league is a fairy tale.

 

Spurs only got back to winning ways once bentaleb came back from injury, he was only 19 and stood up to the germans in the world cup finales.
Better than any import we have at the moment!

 

Mason and Bentaleb are forming a good partnership they arent world beaters but they have a nice blend of workrate and composure.
Granted they are not of the same ability as say Dembele (the most blessed but uninfluential footballer on the planet) but at least the 2 of them do the basics well and keep the midfield ticking over.
I get the doubters of these 2 because to be fair Spurs are only giving them the chance because the so called senior stars are poor with an even poorer atitude which in turn is why they stand out. But while they work their socks off for the cause i will not knock them they are exactly what the teams been lacking some effort.
We need players with Masons enthusiasm to execute the high tempo football that Poch was brought in to employ. We become very 1 paced with out him in the side so glad hes not out.