Rafa Benitez has praised the performance Fabian Delph delivered as Everton drew with Tottenham Hotspur despite his fitness issues, while speaking with EvertonTV.
The Toffees ended a three-game Premier League losing streak to deny Antonio Conte a winning start to his Spurs tenure. Holding the north Londoners’ to a goalless stalemate and refusing to allow any shots on target.
Tottenham never managed to stamp their authority on proceedings as Everton produced a high press from the start. With Delph setting the tone inside the first 20-seconds with a snapping tackle on Harry Kane.
Benitez had handed Delph only his third Premier League start since the start of last season as Everton hosted Tottenham.
The £10m midfielder has suffered with frequent injuries since moving to Merseyside from Manchester City in 2019.
A dislocated shoulder kept him out of Benitez’s plans since August and playing just eight-minutes of the Spaniard’s early games in charge, making his return at Wolves last Monday.
Benitez praises what Delph offers Everton
Delph entered the action at Molineux at half-time and helped change the flow of the game. Giving Everton a leader in the engine room, willing to constantly call for the ball.
His efforts ensured Benitez started Delph against Tottenham, and impressed in the Everton unit to earn his manager’s praise. But the Spaniard admits he is still struggling for fitness.
“I will give credit to Delph,” Benitez said. “He is someone with experience, he can pass the ball and give us a little bit more control. But you can see he is still not at the level [wanted with his fitness].
“Every player is important, particularly with a lot of games in one-and-a-half months. It is really important to have every player fit – especially in positions like this one in midfield.”
Delph was a constant positive for Everton when on the ball against Tottenham, driving the Toffees forward. He also helped deploy a high press and broke up Spurs’ attempts to play the ball into Harry Kane.
But Benitez could only leave Delph on the field for an hour before his lack of fitness caught up. The Blues boss will hope the £80k-a-week midfielder now uses the international break to recharge the batteries and be even stronger when they visit Man City on November 21.
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