Player Watch Player Watch: Rodrigo Bentancur

[Ruffinthepuffin]

I know most of the plaudits go to Kulu and rightly so, but for me he’s been an ever bigger influence of our two January signings. ???

 

[Kempus]

Bentancur has transformed this team. Along with Kulu, this has to be one of the greatest January transfer windows ever, for any club.

 

[EQP]

 

[Frozen_Waffles]

Been said before, but what a signing. I have a feeling we are going to take him for granted like we do with peh.

Skipp, peh and bentancur is excellent, add a more creative element (eriksen) and we are set.

Coming from Sissoko/winks midfield it's a ridiculous upgrade.

 

[dtxspurs]

Been said before, but what a signing. I have a feeling we are going to take him for granted like we do with peh.

Skipp, peh and bentancur is excellent, add a more creative element (eriksen) and we are set.

Coming from Sissoko/winks midfield it's a ridiculous upgrade.

I'm aware its a really simple stat here but Winks has 3 assists in 128 premier league games (and one of those is the 30 yard goal that Aurier scored vs Brighton), Bentancur had 4 in 19 games through the half season he was here.

 

[spuradik]

Been said before, but what a signing. I have a feeling we are going to take him for granted like we do with peh.

Skipp, peh and bentancur is excellent, add a more creative element (eriksen) and we are set.

Coming from Sissoko/winks midfield it's a ridiculous upgrade.

Given the 5 subs next season and the fact that we'll be competing in multiple competitions, especially the CL, I still think we need 2 more top quality players in addition to those listed here. If we can get Bissouma and Laimer, then our midfield would be perfect, granted we get rid of Winks, TN, and Lo Celso.

 

[mil1lion]

He could dribble the ball across his own goal line and I wouldn't panic

 

[dtxspurs]

Given the 5 subs next season and the fact that we'll be competing in multiple competitions, especially the CL, I still think we need 2 more top quality players in addition to those listed here. If we can get Bissouma and Laimer, then our midfield would be perfect, granted we get rid of Winks, TN, and Lo Celso.

I don't think we need 5 midfielders that are all that similar. We need some creativity in there, hence why were looking at Eriksen & Tielemans.

 

[spuradik]

I don't think we need 5 midfielders that are all that similar. We need some creativity in there, hence why were looking at Eriksen & Tielemans.

The reason I say we need 2 more is that we can't expect PEH and Bentancur to play every game, even if we rotate them with Skipp every now and then. There is also no guarantee how much time or how well Skipp's recovery goes. That leaves us with only ~3 'starting' capable midfielders.

Knowing Conte, he'll want us firing on all cylinders from the off in every competition next season. Getting him 2 quality midfielders gives him more options in games and more importantly longevity over the course of the season.

Regarding creativity, I think we only need to add Eriksen and maybe try to utilize Gil in that role for the lesser cup competitions. We could also try to incorporate Sarr for that additional holding role, but I'm afraid he's not ready for the PL yet. If Conte does not think Gil is ready for that creative role, then I feel we can make do with just Eriksen alone. This is because Conte's system does not rely on creative players (see his Inter for example) and only uses them if the situation calls for it.

So my list would be PEH, Bentancur, Skipp, Eriksen, Gil/Laimer and Bissouma. Then get rid of Winks, TN and Lo Celso. That would be a formidable midfield and would at the very least match the likes of City and Liverpool any given day and would cope well both domestically and in Europe.

Our creative players will be our wing backs, so I'm not too fussed if we don't get any more beyond Eriksen.

And finally, I'm just not convinced by Tielemans. He does not seem like a Conte type player to me, footballing qualities aside.

 

[spids]

The reason I say we need 2 more is that we can't expect PEH and Bentancur to play every game, even if we rotate them with Skipp every now and then. There is also no guarantee how much time or how well Skipp's recovery goes. That leaves us with only ~3 'starting' capable midfielders.

Knowing Conte, he'll want us firing on all cylinders from the off in every competition next season. Getting him 2 quality midfielders gives him more options in games and more importantly longevity over the course of the season.

Regarding creativity, I think we only need to add Eriksen and maybe try to utilize Gil in that role for the lesser cup competitions. We could also try to incorporate Sarr for that additional holding role, but I'm afraid he's not ready for the PL yet. If Conte does not think Gil is ready for that creative role, then I feel we can make do with just Eriksen alone. This is because Conte's system does not rely on creative players (see his Inter for example) and only uses them if the situation calls for it.

So my list would be PEH, Bentancur, Skipp, Eriksen, Gil/Laimer and Bissouma. Then get rid of Winks, TN and Lo Celso. That would be a formidable midfield and would at the very least match the likes of City and Liverpool any given day and would cope well both domestically and in Europe.

Our creative players will be our wing backs, so I'm not too fussed if we don't get any more beyond Eriksen.

And finally, I'm just not convinced by Tielemans. He does not seem like a Conte type player to me, footballing qualities aside.

It depends if Conte intends ot use 3-5-2 or not. I think one reason he did not this year as he did not have the players. However, if he sticks to 3-4-3 then I think we only need 4 CMs to compete for 2 places.

 

[mil1lion]

Have to consider whether Sarr will stay with us as if we replace Winks we have Bentancur, Hojbjerg, Skipp, Sarr and one other so plenty of options. I would snap up Eriksen too so that would give us cover in the support forward role but also an option in a midfield 3.

 

[worcestersauce]

I thought he was an elegant player from day one, cool on the ball and had some lovely passes in his bag of tricks but he was naturally cautious and ready to hand it on to the next man. Over the few months he's been here though, he's grown much more expansive, taking a lead and moving forward and now spraying some lovely passes all over the pitch. I don't know if he's become a better player or has just grown in confidence, found his feet so to speak, but either way we have got a fine player on our hands.

 

[jurgen]

Bentancur could play 90 minutes in a tuxedo and it wouldn’t need pressing afterwards…

 

[danielneeds]

Have to consider whether Sarr will stay with us as if we replace Winks we have Bentancur, Hojbjerg, Skipp, Sarr and one other so plenty of options. I would snap up Eriksen too so that would give us cover in the support forward role but also an option in a midfield 3.

From what I’ve seen of Sarr I’d be very surprised if he’s the fourth CM option next season. Conte will want four seasoned pros there as it is probably the most demanding position in his system after WB.

 

[mil1lion]

From what I’ve seen of Sarr I’d be very surprised if he’s the fourth CM option next season. Conte will want four seasoned pros there as it is probably the most demanding position in his system after WB.

I'm suggesting he would be 5th

 

[LeStat]

Your not convinced by bentancar?? The guy has been outstanding since he joined . He’s the player that winks should but never will be .
Do you think we would have got top 4 without him ?? And played winks from January? Not a chance. Adapted brilliantly to the premier league . Great positional sense . Good on the ball and gets out of very tight situations with skill and calmness.

and will only get better

History lesson: did you know people were saying almost the exact same thing about a January signing from about 10 years ago? Once upon a time, we signed this guy called Lewis Holtby seemingly at a bargain price. He came in, brought some much needed energy to an increasingly drab squad and looked like he'd be a big part of our future. How did it end? Not great.

Now I'm not saying even for a second that Bentancur is the new Holtby, he's already done a lot more. However, people can sometimes overstate the quality of January signings, especially if the team manages a strong finish.

My problem with Bentancur is that he seems light and flakey, especially for a DM in the Premier League. He is playing a role that demands very strong defensive output, and I'm not convinced he can cope with the physicality of the league yet. Doing an above average job after arriving in January is one thing, doing it over a full season when opposition midfielder start figuring you out is another.

 

[Mattspurs1982]

History lesson: did you know people were saying almost the exact same thing about a January signing from about 10 years ago? Once upon a time, we signed this guy called Lewis Holtby seemingly at a bargain price. He came in, brought some much needed energy to an increasingly drab squad and looked like he'd be a big part of our future. How did it end? Not great.

Now I'm not saying even for a second that Bentancur is the new Holtby, he's already done a lot more. However, people can sometimes overstate the quality of January signings, especially if the team manages a strong finish.

My problem with Bentancur is that he seems light and flakey, especially for a DM in the Premier League. He is playing a role that demands very strong defensive output, and I'm not convinced he can cope with the physicality of the league yet. Doing an above average job after arriving in January is one thing, doing it over a full season when opposition midfielder start figuring you out is another.

he was a pivotal part of transforming our midfield from Jan and getting us CL football. First XI for me every time

 

[legend2]

History lesson: did you know people were saying almost the exact same thing about a January signing from about 10 years ago? Once upon a time, we signed this guy called Lewis Holtby seemingly at a bargain price. He came in, brought some much needed energy to an increasingly drab squad and looked like he'd be a big part of our future. How did it end? Not great.

Now I'm not saying even for a second that Bentancur is the new Holtby, he's already done a lot more. However, people can sometimes overstate the quality of January signings, especially if the team manages a strong finish.

My problem with Bentancur is that he seems light and flakey, especially for a DM in the Premier League. He is playing a role that demands very strong defensive output, and I'm not convinced he can cope with the physicality of the league yet. Doing an above average job after arriving in January is one thing, doing it over a full season when opposition midfielder start figuring you out is another.

The difference between him and Holtby being the incredibly mature level of his play, calmness under pressure and the not insignificant fact that he's played a big role in a side that won 3 Serie A titles. The comparison pretty much stops at "the both signed in January" for me.

 

[LeStat]

he was a pivotal part of transforming our midfield from Jan and getting us CL football. First XI for me every time

So was Eric Dier in 2015-2016.

 

[Mattspurs1982]

So was Eric Dier in 2015-2016.

erm… ok…