Tottenham star Nabil Bentaleb’s Algeria are out of the African Cup of Nations.
Misfortune for Algeria can be good news for Tottenham Hotspur, with Ivory Coast eliminating the side nicknamed the Desert Foxes from the African Cup of Nations.
Algeria were beaten 3-1 at the competition’s quarter-finals stage, which means Spurs fans can look forward to the return of Nabil Bentaleb to the club at a timely moment.
The midfielder will be expected to fly back to London this week, in time for the weekend’s important match against rivals Arsenal.
Bentaleb was a calming presence in midfield for Algeria, completing 100 per cent of his 54 passes in the defeat. He also made two tackles and created one goalscoring chance.
The youngster was in excellent form before he left, featuring in the stunning 5-3 win over Chelsea on New Year’s Day.
There is no guarantee he will walk back into the side however, likely to be assessed for fitness and fatigue ahead of such an important game, with Ryan Mason and Benjamin Stambouli recently impressive themselves.
| Position | Team | Interception Won per game | Won Tackles per game | Passing Accuracy | Appearances | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Etienne Capoue | MF | Tottenham | 2.75 | 1.92 | 87% | 12 |
| Nabil Bentaleb | MF | Tottenham | 2.18 | 1.27 | 86% | 11 |
| Ryan Mason | MF | Tottenham | 1.31 | 2.5 | 81% | 16 |
| Benjamin Stambouli | MF | Tottenham | 1.25 | 2.38 | 85% | 8 |
| Mousa Dembélé | MF | Tottenham | 1 | 1.21 | 90% | 14 |
| Paulinho | MF | Tottenham | 0.33 | 0.78 | 89% | 9 |
In Premier League fixtures so far this season Bentaleb has recorded the second highest number of interceptions per game for Spurs of their midfielders, ranking third in terms of tackles won per match.
His pass completion accuracy ranks fourth out of six, yet is still a highly respectable 86 per cent.
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