The 20-year-old impressed once more during Wednesday night’s 3-2 win over Swansea City.
There have been few players who have enjoyed a bigger breakthrough season than Harry Kane this term.
But the 21-year-old is far from the only man to make Tottenham Hotspur tick.
Indeed, there is an even younger star emerging as a candidate – at the very least – to become the north London side’s player of the season.
That candidate – Nabil Bentaleb – delivered another assured display against Swansea City on Wednesday night and has made a real impact this term. So much so that, when the 20-year-old was away on African Cup of Nations duty, Spurs simply didn’t look the same…
| Chances Created | Touches | Accurate Passes | Interceptions | Minutes Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Eriksen | 5 | 81 | 47 | 1 | 90 |
| Danny Rose | 4 | 78 | 41 | 0 | 78 |
| Nabil Bentaleb | 3 | 77 | 56 | 5 | 90 |
| Nacer Chadli | 3 | 64 | 43 | 0 | 90 |
| Kyle Walker | 3 | 105 | 73 | 2 | 90 |
| Ryan Mason | 2 | 81 | 58 | 3 | 90 |
As Opta stats show, Bentaleb wasn’t Tottenham’s only star man against the Swans but he was certainly one of their more important players. Creating three chances, the young midfielder contributed in attack, while his five interceptions show a great reading of the game in a defensive capacity.
| Accurate Pases (per game) | Interceptions | Tackles | Chances Created | Final-Third Passes | Appearances | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Etienne Capoue | 52 | 2.75 | 1.92 | 0.33 | 7 | 12 |
| Nabil Bentaleb | 50.6 | 2.67 | 1.67 | 0.73 | 8.27 | 15 |
| Kyle Walker | 45.18 | 2.27 | 2.18 | 0.82 | 12 | 11 |
| Christian Eriksen | 42.26 | 0.59 | 1.15 | 2.52 | 17 | 27 |
| Ryan Mason | 41.2 | 1.25 | 2.45 | 0.9 | 10.85 | 20 |
A look at his overall statistics for the season, meanwhile, reveal a consistent all-roundness to Bentaleb’s game.
The 20-year-old is easily one of Tottenham’s best passers, while he averages a high amount of interceptions per game. The Spurs man also creates regular chances, however, and completes several passes a game in the final third.
Some may argue Ryan Mason has been a more impressive performer this campaign, while the likes of Hugo Lloris or Kane would be obvious choices for any end-of-season awards. From both a defensive and attacking viewpoint, though, has there been a more important player for Tottenham than Bentaleb this term?
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