Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte has, on Friday, provided an insight into the position most likely to be taken up by January arrival Rodrigo Bentancur in his side.
Uruguayan international Bentancur was of course one of two late additions to Conte’s ranks in north London ahead of last month’s transfer deadline.
The midfielder, on the back of a four-and-a-half year spell in Serie A with heavyweights Juventus, was joined by Bianconeri teammate Dejan Kulusevski in swapping Turin for the English capital.
‘Benta’, in turn, has gone on to secure a pair of appearances off the bench for Tottenham, featuring in the club’s Premier League meetings with both Brighton and Southampton.
TURIN, ITALY – JANUARY 15: Rodrigo Bentancur of Juventus FC gestures during the Serie A match between Juventus and Udinese Calcio at Allianz Stadium on January 15, 2022 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Sportinfoto/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
Calls, though, have begun to mount amongst the Lilywhites faithful for the 24-year-old to be handed his full debut this weekend, when Conte’s troops welcome Wolves to north London for a crucial matchup in the battle for European football.
The name of the winter arrival at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium therefore unsurprisingly took its place front and centre in the latest press conference held by Spurs’ boss on Friday.
And though Conte stopped short of confirming whether or not Bentancur will indeed be afforded his first start for the club on Sunday, the Italian did provide a separate noteworthy insight.
This came in the form of a hint at the position likely to be taken up by the former Boca Juniors talent in his setup.
Conte has revealed his opinion that Bentancur best performs as part of a midfield two, or pivot, rather than in a three-man system in the middle of the park:
Asked Conte if he feels Bentancur is better in a two or three: “I think the best position for him is to play with two midfielders but sometimes with the national team and with Juventus, he played in a three but in my mind the perfect suit for him is to play with two midfielders.”
— Alasdair Gold (@AlasdairGold) February 11, 2022
Wolves test
Turning attentions towards Sunday itself, Spurs’ next outing of course marks an absolutely vital one amid the club’s pursuit of a Premier League top-4 berth.
This comes with the capital outfit having slipped to an alarming 3-2 defeat at home to Southampton in midweek.
This result, in turn, opened the door for north London rivals Arsenal to position themselves favourably in the Champions League chasing pack, just a point adrift of 4th-placed West Ham.
With Mikel Arteta’s Gunners not due to return to the pitch until next weekend, though, all at Tottenham are no doubt aware that a bounce-back downing of Wolves would see them climb level with Arsenal in 5th, setting the stage ever further for a tense season run-in.
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