The signing of Ange Postecoglou as Tottenham Hotspur manager could have been viewed as a risk, but he has certainly silenced those doubters and hit the ground running.
The Lilywhites now have a clear identity, a style of play that not only brings results but is also enjoyable to watch, even for the neutral. The majority of that is down to the Australian.
Spurs have improved as a team, yet so have the players as individuals, and that was on show in the 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace this weekend.
However, there was one player on Saturday who has yet to fully adapt to Postecoglou’s philosophy, whom the boss could look to bench in forthcoming matches.
Rodrigo Bentancur’s 23/24 campaign in numbers
The past 12 months have been extremely difficult for Rodrigo Bentancur, with a cruciate ligament tear picked up in February last year making him miss 254 days.
Therefore, it’s no surprise that he’s not quite been as sharp this campaign, with the Uruguayan making his return at the end of October against the Eagles.
His progress was then halted once again three games later, when the midfielder suffered an ankle ligament injury that saw him miss six outings.
Thankfully, the 25-year-old now has a run of matches under his belt, and overall this campaign, Bentancur has played 11 times in the league, but his showing against Palace this weekend was far from inspiring.
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Bentancur’s performance against Palace
Bentancur returned to the starting XI on Saturday in place of Pape Matar Sarr, who has become the first-choice partner for Yves Bissouma this campaign.
In a game where Spurs enjoyed 78% possession, the former Juventus man was unable to have any real impact on the game, with The Evening Standard handing him a 4/10 rating, stating: “Still looks short of rhythm and struggled to make an impression.”
Furthermore, the table below highlights his key statistics from the tie.
|
Bentancur vs Palace |
|
|---|---|
|
Stats |
Bentancur |
|
Minutes |
63 |
|
Completed Passes (Accuracy) |
52 (88%) |
|
Duels (won) |
9 (3) |
|
Fouls |
3 |
|
Yellow cards |
1 |
|
Possession lost |
12 |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
|
As you can see, Bentancur failed to show his ability on the ball, only making 52 passes with an accuracy of 88%, which is low compared to Bissouma, for example, who completed a whopping 109 passes.
The number 30 also lost possession on 12 separate occasions, but it was the lack of intensity off the ball that caused Spurs and Postecoglou a few issues.
Out of his nine duels entered, the midfielder only won three, which is a rather poor record, but he was also off the pace completely, often being late to challenges and clumsy, with his foul handing Palace the free kick that Eberechi Eze scored from.
Furthermore, the midfielder picked up a yellow card for his troubles and only made one tackle all game, but his afternoon was cut short in the 63rd minute as he was substituted for Brennan Johnson, who picked up two assists.
In truth, it was an afternoon to forget for Bentancur, who is still yet to rediscover the form he showed prior to his injury this time last year, but it’s clear that Sarr must replace him in the starting lineup.
