Tottenham Hotspur: Injury Situation Brightens Spurs Mood After Everton Debacle

With 89 minutes gone in Sunday's Premier League match between Tottenham and Everton, Spurs supporters must have been on cloud nine.

After all, their team was mere seconds from pulling off a win that circumstance had made to seem quite improbable.

Less than five minutes later, the emotion had done an about-face. Another late-match collapse, this time in extraordinary fashion, left fans shaking their heads and muttering, "Classic Spurs."

Coming off the back of such a terrible loss, it's hard to imagine any silver linings brightening up the outlook a fan would have for the club.

However, Spurs' injury situation just might do that, as many Tottenham players are preparing to make their return to the first team.

Any supporter would tell you that Spurs have been unlucky with injuries this season. I mean, it's no hyperbole to say that the club hasn't played a match with its first-choice 11 players.

The hardest hit area has been the defense, where starting left-back Benoit Assou-Ekotto, starting center-back Younes Kaboul and former captain Michael Dawson have all missed huge chunks of the season.

Factor in the lengthy injuries to Scott Parker and Moussa Dembele (who already returned) and you start to see the long-term troubles the club has suffered through thus far.

To make matters worse, the team's biggest threat, Welsh winger Gareth Bale, was injured against Fulham a little over a week ago and missed Sunday's match at Goodison.

Luckily, this seems set to change in the very near future.

The club seems prepared for three injury boosts in next weekend's league match with Swansea City.

First, according to John Edwards of The Daily Mail, Bale looks set for an early return from injury, bringing his flare and ability back to the attack.

Further, Parker could see his first playing time of the season, bringing his leadership and scrappy defending back to the defensive side of the midfield.

Finally, the defense could get a huge boost through the return of left-back Assou-Ekotto, who would make his first appearance since mid-September. This would allow standout performer Jan Vertonghen to shift back to his preferred central role and bring the club very close to their first-choice quartet of defenders.

To boot, as reported by the Guardian, Kaboul is nearing his return to the first team, indicating that the club could be back to full strength by the new year.

Yes, Spurs' loss at Goodison was quite a painful one.

If everything goes right, though, it could indicate the beginning of the end of the club's injury woes.

For the latest news in the world of football, follow me on Twitter.