Football.London

Rodrigo Bentancur demonstrated what he is all about last Saturday after delivering an excellent performance in Tottenham's 3-1 win over Brentford. Enduring an extremely tough past 18 months following the ACL injury he sustained at Leicester City in February 2023 and also a couple of other further injuries, the Uruguayan gave everyone a glimpse against the Bees of just what he can offer Ange Postecoglou's side across the 2024/25 season.

Unfortunately for Postecoglou and Spurs, they could possibly be set to lose the Uruguayan international for a period of games at some point in the not too distant future. Earlier in the month it was revealed that Bentancur has been charged by the FA over his comments regarding Spurs captain Son Heung-min during an interview with Uruguayan TV in June, with the player having until Thursday, September 19 to provide a response to the charge.

Bentancur and Tottenham are now waiting for the verdict from the FA and there is a possibility that he could face a ban of up to 12 games as a result of his comments. After speaking to the FA following the initial news of the FA charge for the player, football.london understands that match-based sanctions of six to 12 games are recommended to regulatory commissions for almost all 'aggravated breaches' of FA Rule E3 that are a first offence by individual participants.

The Spurs midfielder has the opportunity to accept or deny the charge. If he accepts, the commission will go on to decide on sanction or sanctions. If Bentancur denies it, the commission will decide whether to uphold or dismiss the charge, and if the former they would also decide the sanction or sanctions.

Bentancur also has the prospect of another ban hanging over his head. The 27-year-old has so far obtained three yellow cards in his first four Premier League appearances of the season and that means he is now walking the disciplinary tightrope.

As ever, players who receive a total of five yellow cards in their first 19 fixtures will be given a one-match suspension. Fourteen Premier League players are currently on three yellow cards from the first five games, with Bentancur the only Tottenham player to feature on the list.

With a further 14 Premier League games to go until we pass the cut-off point for a one-match ban for five yellows, Bentancur is on track to pick up a ban if his tendency to pick up yellow cards at his current rate continues. The ex-Juventus man may not be available for a chunk of those 14 Premier League games, though, depending on the possible punishment that comes his way from his FA charge.

Always going to be a big season for Bentancur after the stop-start nature of last term, Postecoglou praised his midfielder on the eve of the campaign and outlined his importance as Tottenham look to progress. If he is to end up missing some games, he will be a big miss for the club.

"Yeah, Rodri last year was very much, a bit like our season, it was very much stop-start at times," he said ahead of the Leicester City game. "At times he looked really good, got some rhythm and then something would happen whether it was an injury or another disruption.

"For him and the other guys, he went away with Uruguay and got game time there. In terms of his mindset, he is in a much better place of knowing that from an injury perspective he is free of that. He is 12 months down the track after a significant injury, which always takes a bit of time and it's been great to have him back part of the group.

"He came on in the second half last week [vs Bayern Munich] and I thought he looked really good, has looked good in training, so hopefully that is where some of our improvement comes from. Guys who last year for one reason or another couldn’t get to the levels we know they can and if we can do that with guys like him and the ones who had good seasons last year, if we can improve them as well, that improvement I am looking for will be there."

In regards to Tottenham's other players who could potentially face a one-match ban for five Premier League yellow cards before the cut-off point, Yves Bissouma, James Maddison and Micky van de Ven are currently on two bookings apiece from the team's opening fixtures.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham! Click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Lucas Bergvall has a bright Tottenham Hotspur future ahead of him. And that is pretty much the message from head coach Ange Postecoglou after the teenager only got ten minutes of action in the Europa League on Thursday night.

Bergvall was in the starting lineup at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for his first taste of European action against Qarabag. But that first taste did not last long.

After Radu Dragusin was shown a straight red card just seven minutes into the match, someone had to be sacrificed to get another defender on. That someone was Bergvall.

Everyone of a Tottenham persuasion was looking forward to seeing the blonde-haired teenager in action after his shortened display against Coventry in the Carabao Cup. Unfortunately this was another short display in the team.

But Postecoglou is under no illusions that there will be other chances for the young Swede to impress. Speaking to TNT Sports after the game, the Australian said: "He's 18 he'll get plenty more games but it was a decision we had to make, it was just an adjustment we had to make to get another defender on, nothing against Lucas, he'll get more opportunities."

Tottenham ran out 3-0 winners on the night, despite playing most of the match with ten men. Brennan Johnson got things up and running soon after Dragusin was sent off, with his third goal in three games.

After the break, Pape Matar Sarr volleyed in from a corner, but things could have taken a turn when Yves Bissouma conceded a penalty. However, Toral Bayramov sent his spot-kick high over the bar.

The visitors had a number of other chances, but could not convert them and Dominic Solanke scored his second in as many matches to ensure it was a winning start in the Europa League.

Tottenham Hotspur won 3-0 with 10 men against Qarabag in the Europa League on Thursday night and Ange Postecoglou spoke to the media afterwards.

After a delayed kick-off, it took just seven minutes for drama to arrive as Radu Dragusin was sent off after a poor bit of play, losing the ball after some poor control and then bringing down Juninho as he ran clear. Spurs reacted quickly with 10 men though and scored five minutes later with Dominic Solanke using his strength to win the ball back, hold off his marker and put Brennan Johnson through to score his third goal in as many games.

Pape Matar Sarr doubled Spurs' lead early in the second half. Half-time substitute Dejan Kulusevski's corner was flapped at by the keeper under pressure from Ben Davies and Sarr volleyed it in off a defender.

The visitors were given a penalty after Yves Bissouma initially caught Elvin Jafarguliyev in the box but then got the ball with his second challenge. Tural Bayramov though sent the penalty on to the crossbar and over. It soon became 3-0 to 10-man Tottenham as Solanke made it two goals in two games as he followed up Son Heung-min's saved shot to fire home and the ten men held on for a clean sheet and the win.

Here's what Postecoglou said to the media after the game:

Brennan Johnson made it three goals in three games, you can see his confidence growing after every game can't you?

Yeah, I thought again Brennan was really important for us, particularly today going down to 10 men pretty early, we're going to need some attacking outlet and I thought he, Dom and Sonny provided that and obviously we needed a goal and I thought it was a good first goal for us because we were with only 10 men, but we still pressed and forced a mistake and Brennan's been good at taking up those positions and him and Dom have a good little sort of relationship there in terms of working off each other and he took his goal well. As you said, that's three in three games for him, and long may it continue.

What did you have to say to both Radu Dragusin and Lucas Bergvall after that early red card and substitution?

Nothing specifically to them. I mean, it was just a consequence of us starting the game really slowly. It was just not a great start for us. We were really passive with our passing. Whether it was the delay to the game or whatever, but it's no excuse. We kind of shot ourselves in the foot and unfortunately Radu and Lucas paid the ultimate price for it. But as a team, we just didn't start the game in the way we wanted to and the way we needed to and made the game challenging for us. The response was great, absolutely, but disappointed we had to be in that position.

Do you think that delay will have any knock-on consequences ahead of your busy fixture period?

No, I don't think so. Like I said, it's more about you're kind of looking for reasons why we wouldn't start the game and maybe I'm grasping for straws with a late sort of kick off. It doesn't, because obviously the players are here for extra time and preparing for a game. We have our routines in place.

So having a 35 minute delay, delays warm ups, delays all sorts of things but you've just got to deal with it and we've got to deal with it better than what we did tonight.

Sonny had treatment, is he okay?

I haven't spoke to him. He said he felt a bit tired, but I haven't spoken to him or the medical team yet.

Is Archie Gray okay, he looked like he took a knock to his ankle?

He didn't stop running though so can't be that bad.

How brave were your players to keep attacking and is that down to the principles you established last season, like in the Chelsea game?

Well I think that's part of it. Obviously we want to be a team that tackles whatever challenge we have in a certain way. When you go down to 10-men invariable at times you can't be as aggressive or keep the ball as much or play as fluently but for the most part the intent was there. The first goal comes from us pressing. We were pressing with 10-men and we win the ball high up, which is what we wanted to do and we ended up scoring a goal from it. I think for the most part the boys showed that intent. That's the kind of team we want to be and whatever challenge we have before us, is to tackle it that way.

Is Brennan Johnson okay after coming off at half-time?

Yeah he's fine. It was just tactical. I thought we would need Deki Kulusevski because the way the game is going, Deki is a like a hybrid midfielder and can also break out on that right wing. It was just a tactical switch, but Brennan is fine.

Is Dominic Solanke fully fit now?

He's getting there. Like I said, he didn't do pre-season with us and then he has one game and then he's out for two weeks, while the other guys were building up their match fitness. He is getting there and probably played longer than I wanted for him to play tonight, just the circumstances of the game, but the one thing about him is he just keeps going. Great for him to get another goal but his all-round performance was really strong. When you're down to 10-men, you need your striker to be able to hold up the play and do some hard running, which I thought he did.

Guglielmo Vicario was very impressive, what was the thought process with picking him over Fraser Forster today?

Same as every other game. I just select teams that would win us a game of football and no other reason than the same reason I select him every other week or make different decisions. It was no different.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham! Click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Ange Postecoglou is holding his press conference following Tottenham's 3-0 win with ten men against Qarabag in the Europa League on Thursday.

The Tottenham head coach made six changes to his line-up from the team that overcame Brentford at home on Saturday afternoon, with Radu Dragusin, Archie Gray, Ben Davies, Lucas Bergvall, Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma all coming in to start against the Azerbaijani side.

The kick-off had to be delayed by 35 minutes as Qarabag arrived for the game late due to severe road problems in the area while many supporters were unable to get to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when they had originally planned due to multiple train cancellations around Tottenham Hale.

When the game did begin, it took only seven minutes for the drama to arrive as Radu Dragusin was sent off after losing the ball after some poor control and then bringing down Juninho as he ran clear. Spurs reacted quickly with 10 men though and scored five minutes later with Dominic Solanke using his strength to win the ball back, hold off his marker and put Brennan Johnson through to fire home his third goal in as many games.

Sarr made it 2-0 to Tottenham early in the second half. Dejan Kulusevski's corner was flapped at by the keeper under pressure from Davies and Sarr volleyed the loose ball in off a defender.

The visitors were given a penalty soon after when Bissouma initially caught Elvin Jafarguliyev in the box but then got the ball with his second challenge. Tural Bayramov sent the spot kick on to the crossbar and over.

Ten-man Tottenham made it 3-0 and Solanke two goals in two games when he followed up Son Heung-min's saved shot to fire home.

Our Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold is among those putting the questions to Postecoglou after the game. Scroll down for his latest updates from the press conference at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Spurs were involved in a thrilling clash at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday night as their Europa League campaign got under way with a bang.

There were only seven minutes on the clock when the home side were reduced to ten men - Radu Dragusin hauling down Juninho when the Qarabag forward was clean through. Moments later the ten men were 1-0 up, thanks to Brennan Johnson.

And despite Qarabag having a number of good chances - one from the penalty spot - Spurs were clinical with theirs, scoring a second and third in the second half through Pape Matar Sarr and Dominic Solanke.

football.london kept a close eye on things and here are a few things we spotted during the match that you might have missed...

Postecoglou reaction

Ange Postecoglou's reaction to Radu Dragusin's red card summed it all up. As the camera went on to the Australian, after Dragusin had seen red for denying Juninho a goalscoring opportunity, Postecoglou shook his head.

Whether he was upset with the decision of the referee, or the situation his player put himself and his team in, was unclear at the time. Postecoglou shook his head and turned away from the pitch.

He was then seen putting his hand out for Dragusin to shake, but seven minutes into the match, the Spurs boss will have been apoplectic that the Romanian got himself in that position by mis-controlling the ball in the middle of the pitch.

Dragusin left his teammates with a huge job to do, when perhaps he would have been better letting the Qarabag man go through and have a shot.

Bergvall hides

One player a number of Tottenham fans were looking forward to seeing on the night was Lucas Bergvall. The £8.5million signing from Djurgarden started the Carabao Cup clash with Coventry and this was his second chance to really show what he could do.

But he only managed to get ten minutes on the pitch. That was because of Dragusin's red card in the seventh minute.

Ange Postecoglou had to sacrifice someone in order to get a fourth defender on the pitch and Bergvall was the unlucky one. And he did not want to be seen after going off.

Taking his place on the substitutes' bench, Bergvall could be seen with a big coat on with his hood up and the coat zipped up over his mouth and nose, with only his eyes visible. He will have been heartbroken.

Captain's moment

Son Heung-min is well loved by the Tottenham Hotspur supporters and the Spurs players alike. He is the captain, the leader, the talisman.

And he showed it in one important but fleeting moment in the first half. As we've mentioned above, Bergvall was so unfortunate to be the one taken off when Spurs were reduced to ten men early on in the match.

The teenager will get other chances to shine, but he was disconsolate as he trudged off the pitch. Son as not going to let him just walk off alone though. The Spurs skipper made sure he went over to the 18-year-old and had a word with him as he shook his hand, as if to say 'your time will come'.

Vicario premonition

Guglielmo Vicario knew exactly what was going to happen when Qarabag were awarded a penalty. Toral Bayramov was the man to step up after Yves Bissouma was harshly adjudged to have brought down Yassine Benzia.

There was a bit of a wait as VAR checked that Bissouma did slightly clip Benzia before winning the ball. Vicario was crouched down right in front of Bayramov before he placed the ball on the spot.

As the Spurs keeper walked back towards his goal, he slapped the crossbar with his hands - as goalkeepers often do to be fair - to psych himself up. And Bayramov stepped up and smashed the spot-kick off the bar where Vicario had just touched it and high over the top.

Tottenham Hotspur won 3-0 despite having 10 men for much of their game against Qarabag in the Europa League on Thursday night and here are our Spurs player ratings.

Ange Postecoglou made six changes to his line-up from the team that beat Brentford on Saturday, with Radu Dragusin, Archie Gray, Ben Davies, Lucas Bergvall, Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma all coming in to start against the Azerbaijani side. The kick-off had to be delayed by 35 minutes as Qarabag arrived late due to severe road problems in the area while many fans were unable to get to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when they had originally planned due to multiple train cancellations around Tottenham Hale.

When the game eventually began, it took just seven minutes for drama to arrive as Dragusin was sent off after a poor bit of play, losing the ball after some poor control and then bringing down Juninho as he ran clear. Spurs reacted quickly with 10 men though and scored five minutes later with Dominic Solanke using his strength to win the ball back, hold off his marker and put Brennan Johnson through to score his third goal in as many games.

Sarr doubled Spurs' lead early in the second half. Half-time substitute Dejan Kulusevski's corner was flapped at by the keeper under pressure from Davies and Sarr volleyed it in off a defender.

The visitors were given a penalty after Bissouma initially caught Elvin Jafarguliyev in the box but then got the ball with his second challenge. Tural Bayramov though sent the penalty on to the crossbar and over.

It soon became 3-0 to 10-man Tottenham as Solanke made it two goals in two games as he followed up Son Heung-min's saved shot to fire home and the ten men held on for a clean sheet and the win.

Here are our Tottenham player ratings:

Guglielmo Vicario

Did well to come out and beat a Qarabag attacker after Davies was dispossessed. Made a number of comfortable saves before a brilliant full stretch one to deny Jafarguliyev. A dominant display. 8

Archie Gray

Put in a real shift at right-back and tried to get Spurs up the pitch as well even with 10 men. It's not his ideal position but he's getting plenty of minutes there and he's getting sharper. Looked like he picked up a late painful knock but was running it off in the final minutes. 7

Radu Dragusin

Dreadful decision-making to let the ball roll across his body and then bring down Juninho as the last man. Red card after seven minutes. 1

Micky van de Ven

Held the defence together superbly after Dragusin's exit and that pace always helps Tottenham out. 8

Ben Davies

Got dispossessed midway through the first half but was bailed out by Vicario. A couple of shaky moments but on the whole battled away and put off the goalkeeper for Spurs' second. 6

Pape Matar Sarr

A quiet first half but he was much better in the second half and doubled Spurs' lead early in the second period with a volley home off a defender. 7

Yves Bissouma

An erratic display with some good moments but plenty of sloppy ones. Gave away the missed penalty. He certainly got the ball at the second attempt but it was the initial contact that was the problem. 5

Lucas Bergvall

So tough on the young Swede and he looked gutted, sacrificed for Udogie to come on. 5

Brennan Johnson

Made it three goals in three games with a fine finish into the bottom left corner just five minutes after the red card. Came off at half-time as Kulusevski was added to bolster the midfield. 7

Dominic Solanke

Showed his strength to win the ball and then assist Johnson for his early goal. Made it two goals in two games in following up Son's saved effort. Looked knackered by the end but he proved to be a terrific focal point for the other nine men on his team. Goal and an assist on a good night for him. 8

Son Heung-min

Worked hard down the left to give Spurs an outlet down that channel and it was his saved shot that Solanke fired home. 7

Subs

Destiny Udogie

Came off the bench after 10 minutes or so and quickly made a couple of important interceptions. Played his part in Spurs keeping a clean sheet. 8

Dejan Kulusevski

It was his corner that led to the second goal and he was involved in the third. Helped give the midfield more strength. 7

Timo Werner

Didn't offer too much in the final stages. 5

Rodrigo Bentancur

Helped give Spurs a more secure base after replacing Bissouma. 6

Mikey Moore

The 17-year-old made his European debut in the final moments and hopefully the first of many such games for the club. N/A

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham! Click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Ange Postecoglou looked far from pleased with Radu Dragusin after he was given his marching orders during Tottenham Hotspur's clash against Qarabag. The 22-year-old defender was shown a red card just minutes into the Lilywhites' opening match of the new-look Europa league campaign.

Juninho pounced on Dragusin's loose touch and, as the 27-year-old striker beelined towards goal, he was brought down. As the last man, the Romania international was dismissed, forcing Spurs to play the remainder of the tie with just 10-men.

As he departed the field with his head in his hands, Postecoglou couldn't hide his frustration, shaking his head and avoiding eye contact before offering a handshake. The Tottenham boss rejigged his backline a few moments later, replacing Lucas Bergvall with Destiny Udogie.

Ironically, Spurs broke the deadlock just seconds later, with Dominic Solanke teeing up Brennan Johnson, who netted the 50th goal of his career. While the Tottenham boss may have been disappointed with Dragusin in the heat of the moment, the defender appears to be central to his plans this season.

Speaking to SPURSPLAY following the Lilywhites' 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United at St. James' Park earlier this month, Postecoglou heaped praise on the Romanian. He said: "He did well. It’s a unique challenge here, the crowd create a strong atmosphere, and I thought he handled it well.

"They’ve got some threats up front, particularly Isak with his pace, and a couple of times he handled that really well. Overall, it’s great experience for him, still only 22, and he’s going to play a big part in our season. Getting through that will stand him in good stead."

Then, speaking to reporters in his post-match press conference, Postecoglou added: "I thought he was good. It was a great opportunity to expose him. I mean, he's only 22. He's still a young man, especially for a defender and I thought exposing him to this atmosphere and the threat.

"The particular threat that Newcastle posed with Isak up front, he had to be really concentrated, and I thought he was. I think he's going to play a big part in our season. Him coming through that, that whole experience, will set him up well."

Tottenham's Europa League campaign could not have got off to a much worse start. At home to Qarabag at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Spurs were reduced to ten men after just seven minutes.

Centre-back Radu Dragusin got himself in all sorts of trouble in the centre circle, failing to control a pass to him and Juninho nipped in. The Brazilian was away, had he not had his shirt puleld by the Romanian and hauled down on his run to goal.

Referee Willy Delajod had no hesitation, reaching for his red card straight away, sending the centre-back off. And Dragusin could have no complaints as Juninho had a clear run through to Guglielmo Vicario's goal.

So why was Dragusin sent off? And what is the situation regarding double jeopardy?

Because Dragusin was outside the 18-yard box, the double jeopardy rule does not come into play. Double jeopardy was brought in to stop the double punishment of giving away a penalty - and potentially a goal - and being a man down.

This was brought in for cases where players made a genuine attempt to win the ball in the penalty area. Dragusin did not make a genuine attempt for the ball and he was not in the box giving away a penalty, thus the red card had to be shown for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity.

It did not faze Spurs though, who went in front soon after, despite having ten men, with Brennan Johnson slotting home a pass from Dominic Solanke, who won the ball back high up the pitch.

Lucas Bergvall was the unlucky man to be sacrificed, taken off by Postecoglou with Destiny Udogie coming onto the pitch as a forth defender. Spurs continued to play their possession-based football with just ten men, and looked good for the rest of the first half.

Despite Tottenham's Europa League opening group phase clash against Qarabag being delayed, manager Ange Postecoglou remained in good spirits before kick-off. With bad weather causing travel disruption for teams and supporters alike, the pre-game coverage took on an improvised manner.

At 7.30pm, just half-an-hour before the match was due to start, Spurs' opponents had not arrived at the ground. Around 45 minutes before the scheduled start time, a delay announcement was issued.

However, TNT Sports remained live from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with former England stars such as Joe Cole and Glenn Hoddle left to keep viewers interested. Speaking to Postecoglou prior, they themselves were left enjoying the output from the charismatic Australian.

"You guys have got to work hard tonight," Postecoglou jokingly acknowledged. "You got some songs, got some tunes?" It left the punditry duo laughing on air as they filled time before things got underway.

Presenter Lynsey Hipgrave was also impressed as the quartet enjoyed themselves, under strange circumstances. Fortunately, Qarabag arrived shortly after as preparations for the match got underway.

Tottenham's own contingent were at the ground long before then, with TNT claiming captain Son Heung-min had been inspecting the pitch at 6pm, two hours before kick-off. It comes in the first of eight matches to played at this stage of the tournament.

Spurs will also welcome Roma, Elfsborg, and AZ Alkmaar to north London as part of the revamped UEFA format. They don't face the same teams home and away - either - with trips to Ferencvaros, Galatasaray, Hoffenheim and Rangers to come for Postecoglou and his players.

Qarabag entered this match at the top of the Azerbaijan Premier League with five wins from their first six games. Tottenham themselves got back to winning ways at the weekend, beating Brentford after consecutive losses had put Postecoglou under if only a little bit of pressure.

The Europa League clash between Tottenham Hotspur and Qarabag has been delayed.

Spurs take on the Azerbaijan side in their first Europa League game of the 2024/25 campaign at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday night, with Ange Postecoglou's side favourites to lift the trophy.

Kick-off was due to be at 8pm in N17 on Thursday night, but the match has been delayed due to a variety of reasons, with traffic chaos on the roads outside the stadium leading to the visitors being delayed arriving. The TNT Sport TV crew were also delayed getting to the stadium, with Linsey Hipgrave joking with Peter Crouch and Glenn Hoddle about their punctualtiy as they came on air.

football.london understands that as of 7.25pm, the Qarabag team still had not arrived at the stadium because of the traffic problems outside in north London.

The bad weather has also played a part, with the rain hammering down at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. It has now been confiremd that kick-off will now be at 8.35pm - 35 minutes later than it initially should have kicked off.

Qarabag were seen walking into the stadium at aaround 7.45pm, having had to walk some way down the Tottenham High Road in order to get to the stadium, having abandoned their coach.

You can follow the build-up and action in our live blog from N17 right here.

Tottenham take on seven other teams in the newly-expanded league phase of the Europa League this season. Four games are at home with four away, with Ferencvaros, AZ Alkmaar, Galatasaray, Roma, Rangers, Hoffenheim and Elfsborg to play in the coming weeks.