Rodrigo Bentancur ‘surely finished’ at Tottenham after Europa League update
Tottenham are resting the hopes of their season on Europa League success after a dire domestic campaign under Ange Postecoglou.
The Australian’s team sits 13th in the Premier League table and were dumped out of both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup within a matter of days.
The Lilywhites face AZ Alkmaar on Thursday (13 March) in the second leg of their round of 16 Europa League tie.
Having lost the reverse fixture 1-0, Postecoglou’s side come into this game knowing they need a minimum of two goals to see them through and keep their season alive.
Tottenham face blow ahead of AZ Alkmaar clash
Tottenham have been hit by constant injury issues this term, which has not helped them in their quest for success throughout the campaign.
With the likes of Cristian Romero and Micky van der Ven recently making their returns though, the boss may have been feeling a little brighter going into the game.
However, it may not be through injury but another selection dilemma has emerged thanks to Rodrigo Bentancur.
In the first leg of the tie, the midfielder picked up a yellow card and because that was his third of the European campaign this season, he is suspended for the home fixture.
With a win absolutely vital in keeping Tottenham’s dream of silverware alive, the last thing the boss needed was a limit on team selection.
Tottenham to offload Bentancur
Bentancur has been in and out of the Tottenham squad this season having made 18 Premier League appearances, contributing two goals along the way.
However, the midfielder has been playing regularly of late, often for the entire 90 minutes, including in the first leg of the tie against AZ Alkmaar.
The Lilywhites were not the dominant side on their trip to the Netherlands, and Bentancur getting a yellow card was reckless and has left his team in a tricky position.
| Team | Possession | Shots | Shots on target |
| Tottenham | 62% | 7 | 1 |
| AZ Alkmaar | 38% | 12 | 5 |
Tottenham do look set to bring in a new midfield option in the summer transfer window though with a move for Johnny Cardoso on the cards.
Spurs have a non-mandatory purchase option worth £20.8 million for the Real Betis player and may look to activate that in the summer.
If this is the case, it is hard to see Bentancur staying put and if Tottenham want to improve, an upgrade is needed.
This isn’t the first time that Bentancur has left his teammates high and dry, and it’s about time that these types of players are shown the exit door.