Rodrigo Bentancur: How do Tottenham replace midfielder with ban looming? | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur looks set to be handed at least a six-game ban by the Football Association.

In September, Bentancur made an allegedly racist remark about Spurs teammate Son Heung-min while on international duty. Bentancur was charged on 12th September and given  a week to respond.

Two months later, it seems a decision has been made. According to reports, Bentancur will receive a minimum of a six-match ban over an aggravated breach of FA rules through “abusive and/or insulting words […that] included a reference whether express or implied, to nationality and/or race and/or ethnic origin.”

The sanctions look to have been confirmed by Bentancur, who is currently on international break with Uruguay.

“My agent rang me and told me he had been notified that this was the sanction,” Bentancur told reporters.

“So far, the club haven’t contacted me. I already knew more or less where it was going.

“Now the sanction is out, I want to be calm here with the national team. Then we’ll see when it’s time to go back.”

With the minimum of six matches, Bentancur would miss Premier League games against Manchester City, Fulham, Bournemouth, Chelsea and Southampton as well as the EFL Cup quarter-final against Manchester United. The seventh match is against Liverpool in the Premier League, should the ban be any longer.

He’ll be a big miss at the heart of the Tottenham midfield too, having grown in the No.6 role for Ange Postecoglou this season. Bentancur has started seven of Tottenham’s 11 games in the Premier League this season, missing one match through injury. Ten players have played more minutes for Tottenham than Bentancur’s 538, but that’s because the midfielder is often switched out late in games to introduce fresh legs.

The Uruguayan has averaged 2.68 interceptions per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season, more than any other player in the competition with at least 495 minutes played. He also sits in the top five among outfield players per 90 minutes for ball recoveries at 7.03 — with no Tottenham player managing more.

Only Bournemouth’s Ryan Christie (4.19) has won possession more times in the middle third than Bentancur’s 4.01 per 90 minutes — again among players with at least 495 minutes played — with the Uruguayan also winning 5.35 duels. Bentancur is a reliable man to have on the ball too. The Uruguayan has a retention rate of 90.61%, which checks the percentage of touches that are not losing possession.

When Bentancur hasn’t started for Tottenham, Yves Bissouma has been the one to hold the base of the midfield. And the Malian midfielder is the no-brainer to go straight into the starting XI. It was Bissouma’s suspension at the start of the season which forced Postecoglou to play Bentancur as the No.6, and the Malian has been chasing ever since.

A ready-made defensive midfielder, Bissouma has been better in winning tackles this season, averaging 2.02 per 90 minutes in the Premier League — compared to Bentancur’s 1.51. Although Bentancur has made more tackles at 3.2 to 2.7. Bissouma also doesn’t intercept anywhere near as frequently as Bentacur, at just 1.13 times per 90.

Bissouma is also more successful in ground duels, winning 56.82% of his battles, with Bentancur winning 51.06%. And Bissouma has been slightly better at getting the ball up the pitch.

In the Premier League this season, Bissouma has averaged 1.58 passes into the penalty area per 90, as well as 12.6 accurate forward passes and has an open-play passing accuracy of 90.98%. He’s also completed more long passes per 90 than Bentancur.

But, another big difference in Bentancur’s favour is his reliability. While Bentancur’s retention rate is 90.61%, Bissouma’s is lower at 87.32%. That’s by no means a bad record, but it is worse than the man he’ll be replacing. Bissouma has also averaged 2.25 unsuccessful touches per 90, compared to Bentancur’s 0.5. There’s a feeling that Bissouma can be got at more than Bentancur under pressure.

These are issues Tottenham will just have to deal with over their next six games. Bentancur has been excellent for them this season, but Bissouma is a more than capable deputy, which both having strengths and weaknesses covered by the other.