How Rodrigo Bentancur has quietly unlocked Roberto De Zerbi's Tottenham tactics

Rodrigo Bentancur could become an important figure under Roberto De Zerbi at Tottenham Hotspur.

The midfielder was a key player for the North London outfit last season as they avoided relegation from the Premier League.

After a poor start to the current campaign against Brentford, the Italian manager started the Uruguay international in the engine room in the 5-1 win over Charlton Athletic.

Bentancur put in a solid performance at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as De Zerbi's team booked their place in the third round of the Carabao Cup.

The likes of Mikey Moore, Dominic Solanke and Savio got the plaudits after the win, while the midfielder's display went under the radar.

It's the 29-year-old who could be part of the winning formula at Spurs after quietly unlocking the Italian manager's tactics against Charlton.

What Rodrigo Bentancur did to secure Tottenham victory vs Charlton Athletic

Bentancur has often been overlooked at Tottenham, with the likes of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min rightly getting all the attention.

The Uruguay ace has been a constant figure in the side since signing for the North London outfit in January 2022.

Speaking to the media, Dejan Kulusevski once said, "[Bentancur] is a fantastic player, one of the most underrated players in the world."

Against Charlton, the midfielder once again showed his importance at Spurs, recording 73 touches and completing 96 per cent of his passes, as per Sofascore.

While Bentancur was seemingly tasked with connecting the defence with the more attacking midfielders, he did get an assist and provided three key passes.

The former Juventus ace lost the ball just thrice in the Carabao Cup win, and his composure on the ball is certainly key to De Zerbi's tactics, who likes to goad the opposition into a high press before playing through them.

Bentancur is clearly pivotal when Spurs lose possession, helping them deal with counter-attacks due to his positioning.

Against Charlton, the Uruguay international recorded four defensive contributions, won two of his three tackles, three of his six ground duels and two of his three aerial duels.

How Rodrigo Bentancur will fit in with Sandro Tonali at Spurs

Bentancur was one of Tottenham's standout players against Charlton and should keep his place in the starting lineup.

Newcastle United are up next for the North London outfit at home in the Premier League as Sandro Tonali faces his old teammates.

The Italy international will surely come back into the starting lineup, possibly replacing Lucas Bergvall.

Fernandes and the Swedish ace played as the number eights while Bentancur was the deep-lying midfielder.

Tonali can come into a similar setup and has already shown his threat in the final third during pre-season at Spurs.

The Uruguay star can bring stability to De Zerbi's engine room, while the other two midfielders get more freedom to go forward.