Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho has confirmed that 31-year-old Gareth Bale will be confined to the sidelines for \u2018a few weeks\u2019 after he sustained a calf injury in last week\u2019s Carabao Cup quarterfinal win at Stoke.<\/p>\n
Bale\u2019s injury brings further disruption to the Welshman\u2019s return to north London, which has been stuttering at best following his much-publicised comeback in September, and also deprives Mourinho of another attacking outlet for an important stretch of games, starting with Fulham on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Brazilian duo Carlos Vinicius and Lucas Moura are also expected to miss out against the Cottagers following their unexplained absences from Sunday\u2019s 1-1 draw at Wolves.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t expect him to be fit and also I have my doubts that Lucas and Vinicius can be fit for Fulham,\u201d Mourinho said of Bale. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t say it\u2019s serious but I\u2019d say a few weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n
The lack of attacking options will increase Mourinho\u2019s reliance on Harry Kane during a period in which games are coming thick and fast.<\/p>\n
With those three out, the importance of Tanguy Ndombele has been highlighted and he put in a man-of-the-match display against Wolves, where he scored Tottenham\u2019s lone goal and was a key player in transitioning defence to attack.<\/p>\n
It marks a big turnaround considering Mourinho publicly criticised Ndombele for a lack of effort last season, but the Frenchman still has some way to go as he rarely completes 90 minutes in the Premier League.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are happy, apart from a couple of matches where his performances were not good, overall there was a big evolution,\u201d Mourinho added.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe, to play at this intensity \u2013 Premier League intensity \u2013 and to last for 90 minutes is of course another step in the direction of his fitness.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut he\u2019s a player of course who is playing very well and is giving some good things to the team.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are players that naturally have different qualities than others.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome players are very physical, some are very intense. Others are more explosive but they don\u2019t last for 90 minutes. Or they have difficulties lasting 90 minutes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn his case, he\u2019s adapting to a league that is not new, new, new for him but let\u2019s forget last season where he didn\u2019t play much and he had lots of injuries.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd this season I believe to play at this intensity and to give the team what it needs with and without the ball, it\u2019s not easy for him to last 90 minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tottenham will see the visit of lowly Fulham as a chance to regain some momentum, having failed to win any of their last four Premier League games.<\/p>\n
But Mourinho warned it will not be a gimme.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s always tough. Independent of results, it\u2019s always tough and of course Fulham now, they\u2019re playing in a different way, they forgot some of the principles they believed in,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have new principles of play, they are getting very positive results and it\u2019s going to be difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n
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