Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has outshone Rodrigo Bentancur in the Tottenham midfield this season. But on Wednesday night, Bentancur reminded Antonio Conte of just how important he is to Tottenham with his performance against Sporting.
Hojbjerg has made himself a leader at Tottenham. A player that is crucial to Spurs. If fit, he will play every single minute under Conte. His absence against Newcastle was more than evident, last Sunday. Bentancur has gone under the radar.
That is, largely down to Hojbjerg. Given the two form Tottenham’s midfield, it is easy to make a comparison and say Hojbjerg is the better player. While there is no doubt that Hojbjerg is, that is not to say Bentancur has been poor.
Indeed, on Wednesday night, Bentancur outshone Hojbjerg and most of the Tottenham side. With Yves Bissouma coming into the side of late, the £20million Uruguayan ace reminded Conte why he is pivotal to this Spurs side.
Bentancur reminds Conte just how important he is to Tottenham
His leap for Tottenham’s goal was breathtaking. Getting above Sporting goalkeeper Antonio Adan, who stands at a lofty 6ft 3in, is impressive. But to hang in the air for what seemed like an eternity and head home, was spectacular.
It was only his second goal for Spurs, but it was vitally important one. His eighth goal involvement, in 34 games. That alone shows he has a creative aspect, laying on six games – a better rate than one every six games. His stats were good.
WhoScored report Bentancur made four tackles, only beaten by Eric Dier. Attempting six long balls, he completed five. He completed 64 of his 74 passes. That, all alongside his goal. Some fans have called for Bentancur to be dropped.
Especially, after his performances against Manchester United and Newcastle. But on Wednesday, while it was not the ideal result for Spurs, he reminded Conte of his importance. A player Matthijs de Ligt has described as “underrated”.
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