View: Bentancur must be handed creative responsibility at Tottenham in Maddison injury absence
James Maddison will be sorely missed at Tottenham between now and the end of the year but Ange Postecoglou may already have an ideal replacement in Rodrigo Bentancur.
The England international picked up an ankle injury in the first half of the 4-1 loss against Chelsea on 6 November at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Postecoglou confirmed that the attacking midfielder will be out of action until the new year after Daily Mail journalist Sami Mokbel reported that Spurs are fearing the ankle injury is worse than first expected with growing concerns over a long lay-off.
Maddison confirmed those fears, on his Twitter account on 11 November sharing that he will be away from the pitch until the new year which comes as a damaging blow to Tottenham’s remarkable progress under Ange Postecoglou.
The former Leicester City maestro has proven an integral part of the Australian’s renaissance at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, so far registering three goals and five assists in 11 Premier League games.
Maddison’s goal contribution so early in his career in North London barely scratches the surface as to the impact he’s made.
He ranks first for key passes (31) at the club and first for assists (5) but is also amongst the best in the Premier League and in Europe so far this campaign when it comes to his final third influence.
As per FBRef, Maddison ranks third in the Premier League and in Europe’s top-five leagues for key passes (31), second in the Premier League for passes into the penalty area (32), second in the Premier League for progressive passes (97), fifth for through balls (8) and first for shot-creating actions (80).
He also ranks first in Europe’s top five leagues for shot-creating actions. Everyone knew of the England international’s qualities from his time at Leicester City but it seems as if Postecoglou has driven those qualities to new heights after just 11 games in a Tottenham shirt.
The question now is, how Postecoglou will look to replace Maddison’s creative ingenuity and influence and his absence was clear for all to see in their 2-1 loss at Wolves last weekend (11 November).
After their opener, Spurs did not have a shot on target until the closing minutes of the match from substitute Giovani Lo Celso.
It remains to be seen whether the former Real Betis man will provide the solution for Postecoglou but he certainly possesses a midfield maestro who before his injury, was arguably the best Spurs player after the departed Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min, and that’s Bentancur.
The Uruguayan made his much-anticipated return from injury when he came off the bench in Tottenham’s 2-1 win away at Crystal Palace (27 October).
Before the Palace game, Bentancur had been on a run of missing 28 matches across 254 days due to a cruciate ligament tear.
In what was the toughest and most difficult spell of his career, it seems as though the former Juventus midfield has returned in fine fettle, and it showed during his brief cameo at Selhurst Park.
As per WhoScored, Bentancur completed all seven of the passes he attempted, had nine touches of the ball and even had a shot at goal, that was blocked by Palace’s defence.
All but two of Bentancur’s passes went forward as he not only helped Spurs keep possession in the important dying stages of the game at Palace but he also offered a way of moving the ball up the pitch to potentially grab a third goal on the night.
FBRef reports that the former Juventus player also carried the ball five times showing a great ability to retain possession.
The Uruguayan failed to register a single tackle, however, but that was certainly down to his rustiness and lack of match action since but two cameo appearances against Palace and in the defeat to Wolves certainly means Postecoglou is willing to throw him when the league resumes for Spurs – a tough fixture at home to Aston Villa on 26 November.
Before that game, Postecoglou will need to weigh up whether Bentancur holds all the qualities to be as progressive and as influential as Maddison.
There isn’t another Maddison in the Tottenham team that much is clear, but stats prove Bentancur is arguably the closest in the Spurs side.
As mentioned before, before his injury, Bentancur was arguably the best player at the club, bar Kane and Son. During the 2022/23 campaign, the former Juventus man recorded five goals and two assists, registering 3.23 final third passes per 90, 4.55 progressive passes and 2.04 shot-creating actions per 90 (FBRef).
Again, Bentancur isn’t Maddison and probably won’t record the same numbers the England international throws up while he’s out but he still remains the most innovative and progressive outlet and can easily slot in alongside Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma in the Spurs midfield, working his magic in the half-spaces and further afield.
The 26-year-old also made his first appearance for his national side since October 2022 as a second-half substitute in a 2-0 win over Argentina on Thursday (16 November) so his match-readiness is near 100%.
It’s time Postecoglou hands him the creative responsibilities in Maddison’s absence, starting against Aston Villa after the international break.
In other Tottenham news, an update has been provided on injured defender Micky van de Ven as he steps up his recovery.