Rodrigo Bentancur scored his first ever goal for Uruguay on Tuesday night during a 4-1 win over Venezuela. But it was his stats in defensive midfield that prove he is absolutely perfect for Antonio Conte’s Tottenham system.
Bentancur, 24, joined Tottenham on deadline day for a fee of £20million (Sun). It comes after falling down the pecking order somewhat at Juventus – despite being an important part of Juve’s side over the last few seasons.
On Tuesday night, Bentancur started for Uruguay – a day after joining Spurs – against Venezuela. Impressively, he won his 47th cap, a huge total for someone of his age. He opened his account for his country, after 50 seconds.
Lashing into the net, Uruguay went on to win 4-1 with Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez also on the score sheet. A crucial win in their quest to automatically qualify for the World Cup in Qatar later this year.
But it was Bentancur’s stats in the middle of the park that proves why Fabio Paratici opted to sign the midfielder ahead of Aston Villa. They show exactly why he is perfect for Tottenham’s midfielder under Antonio Conte.
Bentancur stats: Tottenham star perfect for Conte’s midfield
FotMob claim that Bentancur won three tackles, three headers and produced five interceptions. The Uruguay ace was “perfect” in the middle of the park, according to Uruguayan newspaper El Pais.
But what it shows is that, while he did score, his defensive-minded style is crucial in screening a back four, or three. Conte obviously prefers to play with defensive midfielders – hence the departure of three on deadline day.
Dele Alli, Tanguy Ndombele and Gio Lo Celso all left the club on Monday – with attacking midfielders not a part of Conte’s plans. Bentancur’s display, and his stats, show he is ideally suited to Conte’s 3-4-3 system at Spurs.
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