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Conte's bunker: Rodrigo Bentancourt upgrades Tottenham - voila! sport

2022-10-01T04:12:44.320Z


Since joining in January from Juventus, who were quick to sell him, the Uruguayan midfielder has instantly acclimated to the Tottenham midfielder alongside Pierre-Emile Hoyberg. Now a hot derby awaits them against Arsenal


Conte's bunker: Rodrigo Bentancourt upgrades Tottenham

Since joining in January from Juventus, who were quick to sell him, the Uruguayan midfielder has instantly acclimated to Tottenham's midfield alongside Pierre-Emile Hoyberg, and together they form the basis of the exciting team that has yet to lose in the league this season.

Now a hot derby awaits them against Arsenal (2:30 p.m., Sport1)

Michael Yochin

01/10/2022

Saturday, October 1, 2022, 07:00

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Summary: Tottenham defeated Leicester 2:6, Son entered as a substitute and scored a hat trick in 13 minutes (Sport 1)

When he lines up today at noon (14:30, Sport1) in the London derby against Arsenal, Rodrigo Bentencourt will remember the satisfaction of his first meeting against the Gunners, last May.

He didn't dominate the center of the field at the time, but also scored Harry Kane's goal with a shot after a corner - and thus helped a lot to establish the advantage on the way to a 0:3 victory.

This celebration paved the way for Tottenham to the group stage in the Champions League at the expense of the city rival, and in general the Uruguayan midfielder knows how to excel in games against big rivals.



Take, for example, the visit to Manchester City's stadium in February, which was decisive for Bentancourt in his new adventure after the move from Juventus.

His first game with the Roosters ended in a home loss to Wolves, and it wasn't the start he was hoping for, even though he personally showed very good ability.

In front of the champion, this was the opportunity to announce his arrival with a really loud voice, and he took it with both hands.

There was no player on the field who ran more than his 13 kilometers, and the team with Pierre-Emile Hoyberg in the center of the field turned out to be a resounding success even against Kevin De Bruyne, whom Bentencourt has admired for a long time.



The Roosters deservedly led 1:2 in injury time, when a controversial penalty was whistled for the host, and Riyad Mahrez equalized.

That was the moment when the Uruguayan sent his first important long pass in England, freeing Dian Kolosewski on the wing, and the Swede set up Harry Kane's dramatic 2-3 in the 95th minute.

Antonio Conte beat Pep Guardiola for the second time that season, and Tottenham snapped a three-game losing streak to set off on a fresh start.

In the end, these points were critical.

The battle for fourth place against Arsenal began, and it eventually ended with an impressive achievement.

Conte's barometer in the center of the pitch.

Rodrigo Bentancourt in the Spurs uniform (Photo: GettyImages)

Kolosevski, who arrived with him from Juventus at the end of the January transfer window, naturally received most of the media attention thanks to a goal, a goal and a display with a lot of positive energy on the wing.

The Swedish redhead was a resounding success from the first moment, and took his permanent place in a very attractive top three with Kane and Son Heung-min.

Bentancourt's name did not make big headlines, but his contribution to the upgrade of Conte's formation is no less great.

Some would say that it is even more essential than Kolossevski's, but that's a matter of taste, and they really don't compete with each other anyway.



One thing is certain - the Swede's card still belongs to the old lady, while the Uruguayan was immediately purchased by Tottenham in full, for only about 19 million euros.

In the terms of the current market, this is a ridiculous price for a player who controls the center of the field, retrieves countless balls, dictates the pace, and also knows how to navigate from behind when necessary.

Bentancourt's style is not flashy, he does not threaten the goal, and even the national team were surprised when he scored in February for the only time in his 46 appearances in a light blue shirt, but his quiet, smart and elegant work is vital.

Together with Huyberg, a warrior Viking who does not give up on anyone, Bentencourt builds the foundation on which Tottenham's attacking stars juggle.



Why did Juventus so easily give up on a player who has appeared in the media more than any other since he was signed in the summer of 2017?

It turned out that Fabio Praticci was the only person in the management who knew his true value.

As the sporting director at the old lady, he conceived the purchase from Boca Juniors back when Carlos Tevez asked to leave for Boca Juniors in 2015.

In the negotiations with the Argentinians, Juve asked for and received the right of first choice for Bentancourt, who was just making his first steps in the first team at the age of 17. After two years, this option was realized, and it was worth quite a bit because the interest in the young midfielder from other top clubs was high.

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They arrived together from Juventus.

Bentancourt and Kolusewski (Photo: GettyImages)

The integration of the Uruguayan was good and gradual, after he was thrown into the deep waters and made his debut precisely at the Camp Nou against Barcelona in the Champions League.

After a season of acclimatization, he took his regular place in Massimiliano Allegri's rotation, excelled in the win over Manchester United at Old Trafford, then delivered his best season in Italy in 2019/20 with Maurizio Sarri in charge.

At that time, Manchester City expressed a great interest in signing him, and in the Dosxo media sums were around 50 million pounds, but Juventus was not enthusiastic about the possibility, and it did not reach an official offer anyway.



The appointment of Andrea Pirlo as coach in August 2020 halted Bentancourt's momentum, mainly because the maestro asked him to play as a withdrawn playmaker like himself - and he does not have the skills to do so.

In the season in which Juventus lost the championship, the fans began to lose patience, the center of the field was defined as the most problematic link, and Uruguay was often labeled as a gate to hell for the weak ability of the entire team.

The low for him came in the round of 16 of the Champions League in Porto, when his careless pass in the box allowed the Iranian Mahdi Taremi to give the host an early lead.

Juve lost, were eliminated in a dramatic rematch, and Bentancourt's image suffered a blow.

Pratici, who left that summer for Tottenham, recognized this well and took full advantage of the situation.



Bentancourt liked the idea.

He felt that the career in Turin, which promised so much at the time, was going in the wrong direction, and was happy to move to the Kingdom, especially after consulting with Luis Suarez.

Ex-Liverpool strongly advised his friend to move to the Premier League in order to upgrade professionally.

Edinson Cavani also thought it was an excellent option.

The talks with Antonio Conte also helped a lot.

"He is a great coach, and that adds to my motivation. I can learn a lot from him and improve my game, what's more, he was a central midfielder as a player. He is a winner who won titles wherever he went," Bentancourt said.

Became a leader in the team.

Bentancourt in Uruguay uniform (Photo: GettyImages)

Conte saw this connection from a slightly different angle, because for him it was the Uruguayan who added a dimension of wineries to his squad.

"Rodrigo won three championships with Juventus, and he knows what it takes to do that," stated the boss who himself won five championships with Juventus as a player.

The start of the current season has fans very cautiously optimistic about a possible challenge for the crown in England, with five wins and two draws in seven games, and Uruguay could play a significant part in the effort if that happens.

In the last round, against Leicester, he even had the honor of scoring his first goal in the Roosters' uniform in a 2:6 win over Leicester - the lead goal at the beginning of the second half that paved the way for the convincing victory.



"When Rodrigo plays, the team plays well," stated the stopper Eric Dyer, and it will be very difficult to find anyone who disagrees with him.

"Bentancourt has been amazing since he was signed in January. He fitted into the team instantly, becoming the ultimate bunker in the squad. His displays usually go under the radar, but they are hugely important," said former goalkeeper Paul Robinson.



Also in the national team, Bentancourt became the leader of the younger generation in the center of the field, together with Federico Valverde from Real Madrid.

He is now back in London after his performance against Canada in the last warm-up game was described by the Uruguayan media as impressive and elegant.

At the current momentum, the sky is the limit for him, and he comes to the second derby of his career against Arsenal in a fantastic mood.

This time it will be an away game at the Emirates Stadium, which is itself in positive momentum and leads the table.

This meeting may, therefore, be especially juicy - and it can affect the rest of the season of the two rivals.

Bentancourt will do his best to maintain a perfect personal balance against the Gunners.

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Source: walla

All sports articles on 2022-10-01

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