Tottenham are sweating over the fitness of Danny Rose. Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino confirmed the full-back had suffered a recurrence of a groin problem in the 1-0 win over Cardiff on Saturday.
After being rested against Barcelona in midweek, the 28-year-old was forced off after 88 minutes after falling awkwardly at Wembley. Rose is due to link up with the Three Lions this week ahead of the Uefa Nations double-header against Croatia and Spain.
The Spurs defender will be assessed by England’s medical staff before Gareth Southgate decides if he stays with the squad this week. Pochettino told the London Evening Standard Sport: “It was the same as it was after Huddersfield, a problem in his groin.
“He felt it again. We hope that nothing important but of course we need to assess.
“He needs to go to the national team and see what happened.”
Eric Dier scored the only goal of the game as Spurs go within two points of the leaders Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool all on 20 points. Jordan Ralls sent off for horror tackle on Lucas Moura with Neil Warnock and Harry Kane in blazing row
Meanwhile, Cardiff are set to appeal Joe Ralls’ sending off on Saturday.The midfielder a straight red card for his challenge on Lucas Moura, a tackle deemed by referee Mike Dean as serious foul play.
The Bluebirds do not believe his challenge was worthy of a dismissal and the appeal will go before the FA’s independent commission. Tottenham 1-0 Cardiff: Eric Dier scores the only goal as Spurs see of Neil Warnock’s side at Wembley
The 28-year-old completed 90 minutes against Huddersfield last weekend, but Pochettino confirmed he felt a groin problem following that win, and that having felt it again at Wembley he would have to be assessed by the England medical staff.
Danny Rose insists it is only a matter of time before Tottenham’s performances match their results after Saturday’s 1-0 win over Cardiff equalled their best-ever start to a Premier League season.
While Arsenal and Chelsea both scored sublime goals in stylish victories this weekend, Eric Dier’s scrappy eighth-minute strike was a fitting winner against 10-man Cardiff. Dier swept home a loose ball from five yards after Davinson Sanchez’s header was blocked — and that was as good as it got for the hosts, who missed a flurry of chances either side of Joe Ralls’s straight red card for a cynical hack on Lucas Moura after an hour.
The unconvincing win moved Spurs to 18 points from eight matches but they are yet to play anywhere approaching their best this season and Mauricio Pochettino said his side “needed to improve a lot”.
Pochettino, who was even unimpressed with the performance in the 3-0 win at Manchester United in August, has become obsessed with the difference between perception and reality — and if the perception is that his side are not playing well, the reality is that they are a part of a fledging five-team title race.