With recent news that midfield trio, James Maddison, Lucas Bergvall, and Dejan Kulusevski are all ruled out of the final in Bilbao due to injury – Ange Postecoglou must adapt and work with the midfielders he has in order to create history for Tottenham.
With limited selection left, this is the new midfield trio that looks likely to start in the Europa League final:
Rodrigo Bentancur
Rodrigo Bentancur has been on his redemption arc. After sustaining an ACL which saw him absent for the majority of 2023, Bentancur has recently returned to the form Spurs fans once saw. His Europa League performances have been nothing short of sensational, being a defensive renegade in recent games. He has been influential in Spurs’ Europa League run, and has looked very comfortable playing alongside Yves Bissouma, with Postecoglou playing them as a double pivot.
The first leg against Bodø/Glimt was Bentancur’s moment to shine again. He had the most tackles of the match (4) and won the most duels (11). In Spurs’ second leg, away in northern Norway, Bentancur put in another great shift. He had the most defensive actions of any player on the pitch that night (13), with an impressive number of recoveries (10) – keeping Bodø’s attack quiet.
He will be expected by both manager and fans to play a big role in the final against Manchester United next Wednesday.
Yves Bissouma
Despite often being absent from Spurs’ starting XI this season, starting only 16 of 34 Premier League games, Bissouma has proven his worth as of late. Alongside Bentancur in both legs of the Europa semi-final, ‘Biss’ has stepped up when the team have needed him. The pair have been playing and winning the ball back as one entity, making it harder for the opposition to gain space or even retain possession. They're not two players fighting each other for the ball or the headlines, therefore making them a very difficult pair to play against.
With Lucas Bergvall likely to miss the all-important final due to an ankle injury, Bissouma will retain his place once again, and be able to prove why he should be starting the most important games for Spurs.
He made 10 defensive actions in the first leg, and four in the second – all whilst not being dribbled past once. When Bissouma is in good form he makes the game look easy. He’s hard to break down, and he’s even harder to get past. Fans will be hoping and praying he carries this good form into the final. If this is a dream, we don't want to wake up either Biss.
Pape Matar Sarr
With confirmation that first choice number ten, Dejan Kulusevski, has undergone surgery and will subsequently miss next week’s final – who is his best replacement?
With no natural attacking midfielder left on the bench to turn to, Pape Matar Sarr seems like the most sensible choice for Postecoglou.
Although not naturally a creative player, he’s not shy of a goal or long strike. This season he has managed six goals and three assists, impressive for a midfielder off the bench. Of 34 shots Sarr has had this season, 20 of them have been from outside the box – which could prove to be a threat for a shaky Andre Onana in the Man Utd goal.
Sarr will offer energy to the midfield. He covers lots of ground and carries the ball well up the pitch. The 22-year-old is undoubtedly a workhorse, and that’s exactly the type of player Postecoglou will need in the final.