With James Maddison out with an injury, Ange Postecoglou, the manager of Tottenham Hotspur, has been told he must start Rodrigo Bentancur.
Speaking on the ESPN FC Podcast, Craig Burley believes Bentancur would give Tottenham’s midfield more inventiveness.
The Uruguayan suffered an ACL injury in February and was sidelined for a while before making a comeback.
Bentancur has started just one game since taking over for new manager Ange Postecoglou, despite making three substitute appearances recently.
Tottenham’s consecutive league losses to Chelsea and Wolves last week gave them a nightmare six days. But as he tries to lead the team through a challenging time, Postecoglou won’t be overly concerned about the outcome.
In fact, James Maddison and Micky van de Ven were substituted during the Chelsea loss, and it appears they will be out until the new year.
After receiving red cards against Chelsea, Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie were also unable to participate in the loss at Wolves.
Yves Bissouma, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, and Pape Matar Sarr made up Spurs’ midfield three against Wolves, but they lacked that inventive spark.
Furthermore, according to Craig Burley, Bentancur needs to enter the game to pose a greater threat in the closing minutes.
Postecoglou told to start Bentancur now Maddison is injured
Burley argued on ESPN FC that Bentancur should replace Maddison in the starting lineup.
The pundit stated, “I think you’re looking at Bentancur if you’re looking for a bit more creativity.” Given his extended absence, it could have been a fitness concern. He did play in that London Derby for a little while.
“Postecoglou himself said it about the possession they had, they were too conservative,” he continued. He was not fond of it. Someone inquired about Maddison. “Look, it’s the way it is; we’re missing him,” he said.
“Perhaps he should examine his team composition and selection process – how he can overcome the shortcomings of not having Madison and include other players in the game.”
Bentancur scored a few goals before suffering an injury last season, demonstrating his ability to be a threat in the closing third for Spurs.
The midfield player, who cost £19 million when he joined Spurs in January 2021, has excelled under Antonio Conte.
Postecoglou, though, will exercise caution before pushing the 26-year-old back too quickly following such an extended period of time off.
Bentancur isn’t exactly known for his defense-splitting passes, despite his many excellent qualities.
The Uruguayan international, in our opinion, is better suited for Postecoglou’s team’s box-to-box role, while Giovani Lo Celso appears to be Maddison’s natural successor.
