Ange Postecoglou claims Tottenham's injury meltdown is a warning sign for football and ruling bosses must increase squad size to help clubs cope.
Spurs traveled to Germany on Thursday without fourteen first-team players for the Europa League match against Hoffenheim.
Djed Spence, Sergio Reguilon, Antonin Kinsky and Yang Min-hyeok are all fit but ineligible.
The first two because Postecoglou couldn't squeeze them into his squad at the start of the season and the last two because they only arrived this month and can only register for UEFA competitions at the end of the league phase.
“People may look at us and think it's a unique case,” Postecoglou says. 'It is certainly an extreme case. We are the hardest hit and we pay the toll, but it is becoming more and more common. I don't think it will be as unusual as people think as we move forward.
'There are some warning signs for others. If you look at teams in Europe. Last year Newcastle really suffered. Aston Villa this year to some extent.
'You really have to have a strong team and keep them healthy to be able to play in Europe if you do well in the cup competitions, because that is not possible.'
Squads are limited to 25 senior players and must include a certain number of homegrown players, although the rules on what makes a homegrown player vary slightly in European competition.
Postecoglou added: “If you are going to play so much football, I believe you should increase the number of players. It doesn't matter which strategies you use.
“If you want to compete at this level and do well in all competitions, there is no other way to counter that. You have to rotate your team. You pretty much have to have two separate setups. We didn't succeed.
'And you have to involve international football in that. It's not like they get a break between seasons; the calendar has really taken off. In the last five years the game has changed a lot from the previous 50 years. There are going to be some problems if the game continues to change so quickly.”
Pape Matar Sarr is Tottenham's latest victim, but hopes to be fit for Leicester on Sunday. Rodrigo Bentancur is back after a concussion. Cristian Romero is training with the first team again but has not travelled.
Postecoglou admits that there are no new signings that will increase the numbers.
His team sit ninth with two to play at this stage of the Europa League and are aiming for a top eight finish to avoid the play-off round as lifting the trophy is the only realistic chance of winning next season reach the Champions League. They are fifteenth in the Premier League.
“It's a good entry point into the Champions League,” said Archie Gray, who is expected to start at left back on Thursday.
'Obviously, given our position, it will be difficult to get there in the Premier League. We have an opportunity in the Europa League and hopefully we can take it.”
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