Lille 1-2 Strasbourg
In the last Ligue 1 match of 2023, Lille lost 2-1 at Strasbourg, with Nabil Bentaleb unable to keep the hosts from pulling a victory out of the bag. Even so, the former Spurs player performed admirably. And he was right in the thick of things right away, dropping deep or sideways to link play and create openings from a deep lying position.
He had a difficult time in the latter years of his once-promising career due to hamstring, meniscus, back, and groin injuries. However, that is now history, as Bentaleb appears to be a man on a mission, making up for lost time after everything in north London began so successfully ten years ago before coming to an abrupt end.
And against the athletic hosts tonight, he used his physicality to good effect and played with confidence, displaying skill with the ball.
Once, he maneuvered through Strasbourg’s midfield like a knife through butter, reminding us of the flashes of leadership he showed at Spurs when he arrived in late 2013 and left four summers later after losing favor with Pochettino, who was then assembling a new Spurs team that would make it to the Champions League final three years later.
The kid has always had self-belief, as most Spurs supporters are aware, but observing him now indicates that he has also made significant progress in terms of leadership.
That was demonstrated by the way he inspired young players like Yoro and AlexSandro after Lille had taken the lead thanks to a deflected shot from Edon Zhegrova. He was always there for his teammates through the highs and lows, providing them with pep talks and rallying cries. In keeping with his newfound prominence, he urged Gudmundsson not to give up after the Swede missed a shot.
The Algerian’s tactical awareness of the game has also improved, quite impressively. The guy who formerly set up Harry Kane against Arsenal in the North London derby is still quite skilled. Before receiving the ball, the Algerian always considers a passing option; he only needs to make one touch to allow Lille to make a quick transition.
Blessed with a thunderous intensity and advanced strategic thinking that head coach Ange Postecoglou demands from his own players, he presses like a man possessed. Amazingly, he played all the way through the pitch even after taking a few hits.
similar to what appropriate leaders do. The bouncer and balancer Bentaleb can take Lille from being a title contender to a Champions League team because his career is finally starting to go in the right direction once more. Spurs fans, who are marveling at his late comeback, must be asking themselves, “What if?”
