Tottenham fans will be relieved to see Rodrigo Bentancur return, but his performance against Bournemouth highlighted that he will need time to get back to his best.
Bentancur was a surprising choice in Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs team as they defeated Bournemouth 3-1 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on New Year’s Eve.
Initial reports claimed that the Uruguay international midfielder will be out until February after suffering an ankle injury in the 2-1 home defeat against Aston Villa on Sunday 26 November (BBC Sport, 28 November).
His unexpected participation was a huge boost for Spurs, who are currently without several key players due to injuries and need all the aid they can get.
“It is super, he is had a good training week with us and I had a good chat with him yesterday and he was really keen to get back,” the Australian said before of the match, according to Spurs’ Official Website (31 December).
“With all the injured lads, they are all a little frustrated that they can not help the team out right now, so having him back is fantastic, especially after the quick turnaround from the other day.” Having some new legs in the middle with him and Gio (Lo Celso) will be beneficial.”
His unexpected participation provided a significant boost to Spurs, who are grappling with multiple injuries and are in need of assistance from any available source.
In a pre-match statement to Spurs’ Official Website on December 31, the Australian expressed his delight, saying, “It’s fantastic; he’s had a productive training week with us. I had a good conversation with him yesterday, and he was eager to return. With all the injured players feeling frustrated about their inability to contribute to the team right now, having him back is excellent, especially given the short turnaround from the other day. Having some fresh legs in the midfield with him and Gio (Lo Celso) will be beneficial for us.”
Bentancur, returning from an almost nine-month hiatus due to an ACL injury suffered in February, recently faced a setback when he was substituted against Villa. His performance against Bournemouth highlighted the need for patience and time from Spurs supporters as he works to shake off rust and regain match fitness.
In the match against the Cherries, the 26-year-old played just under an hour and faced challenges both in possession and out of possession.
According to Sofascore, he achieved a pass completion rate of only 77% and was unsuccessful in his dribble attempt and both long balls played forward.
Furthermore, he won only 20% of his ground duels (one out of five) and lost the solitary aerial duel he contested. Although he made five clearances, one tackle, and one interception, he surrendered possession seven times and was dribbled past twice.
Pape Matar Sarr was forced off with an injury against Andoni Iraola’s side, with his AFCON status now up in the air, and with Yves Bissouma set to compete with Mali at the tournament, and James Maddison still unavailable due to injury, Bentancur will certainly be needed.
Hopefully for Postecoglou, Tottenham’s supporters and the player himself, he will rediscover his levels from last season sooner rather than later.
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