Immediately upon being available after returning from a torn hamstring, Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi inserted Rodrigo Bentancur back into the starting lineup, and while that unfortunately had to come at the expense of the highly talented and promising Archie Gray in that deep lying role, Bentancur has done nothing to suggest that he should be removed from this role.
Bentancur was quietly excellent in a 2-2 draw with De Zerbi's former employers Brighton, who are a quality side, and he followed that up with another good performance in Spurs 1-0 victory over Wolves this weekend.
The Uruguayan international had five combined tackles and interceptions with three clearances in a mega defensive performance while also completing nearly 89 percent of his passes as the second leading passer on the team in terms of attempts behind only big Austrian center back Kevin Danso.
Tottenham are going with a different formula
Stylistically, Rodrigo Bentancur is a lot different from the two other midfielders he is playing with. Whereas Yves Bissouma and Conor Gallagher are more box to box players who like to run around the pitch making tackles and progressing the ball with it at their feet, Bentancur is more passive, focusing more on reading the game and passing the ball, maintaining possession.
Obviously, in a Premier League relegation fight, new Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi is opting for stability, consistency in terms of his lineup selection, and more of a veteran flavor with regards to the players he is starting in the Spurs XI. Hence why Bentancur has now become such a fixture in the lineup.
But while Bentancur, Gallagher, and Bissouma are all veteran players, they are not exact replicas of each other. Tottenham have opted to go with Bentancur at the base as more of an orchestrator who still defends a lot in this deep area, but they want Bissouma and Gallagher, who are more robust players, alongside him.
Bentancur is in over Joao Palhinha to offer more of that soft, passing touch, and so far, the formula is working. Tottenham are not inserting Archie Gray back into the starting lineup despite his passing superiority and his quality over Bissouma, nor are they playing Xavi Simons as a 10, because in a relegation fight, De Zerbi wants that bit of nastiness from Yves Bissouma and Conor Gallagher as a contrast to the way Bentancur plays.
The overall result is more ball winning and defensive work rate and more of a focus on being solid and stable in midfield defensively while still having the roam for the veterans to be aggressive and snap into tackles with Bentancur covering.