Player News: Tottenham Hotspur handed Rodrigo Bentancur injury blow during Burnley clash
According to football.london, Tottenham Hotspur have been handed an injury blow in the form of Rodrigo Bentancur, as the Uruguayan was taken off at half-time after an awkward slip in the first half of the game against Burnley last night.
The Clarets managed to secure a 1-0 home win against the visitors, who were coming off the back of an amazing 3-2 victory against Manchester City, condemning the table-toppers to a rare home defeat.
Many would have expected Tottenham to build on that platform and start their ascent up the Premier League table to claim a place in the top four by the end of the season, but Burnley skipper Ben Mee had other plans as he ensured his side got all three points after scoring the winner.
The result leaves Spurs in eighth place, seriously hampering their chances of playing Champions League football next season. Despite having a couple of games in hand, it would prove difficult to sneak into the top four if results like this continue in the league.
Midfield options thinning
Bentancur went down in the first half clutching his thigh after an awkward slip on the wet turf, as he somehow willed himself to continue playing until the half-time whistle. In bad news for manager Antonio Conte, the former Juventus man did not return to the field for the second period.
This latest injury leaves Conte with a very thin midfield at the moment, with Oliver Skipp also spending some time on the sidelines due to a groin problem. Harry Winks came on for Bentancur last night in the second half, partnering Pierre-Emile Højbjerg in the middle.
Conte has multiple issues to solve at the moment, starting with Tottenham’s poor league form. This was their fourth loss in five league games, and the Italian seems helpless in getting his team out of this rut.
Bentancur’s injury only adds to Conte’s problem, as he is potentially one more injury away from having a full-blown midfield crisis. The fact that Spurs did not invest heavily in the January transfer market may come back to bite us later on if injuries keep rising.
Bentancur slowly seemed to be adjusting to life in England after his winter transfer window move to N17, and this injury will only further disrupt his progress. It is unknown as to what the timeline is for his return, but we can hope it happens sooner rather than later.
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This injury will now give Winks the opportunities to impress in midfield, and hope that he works his way into Conte’s plans for the starting XI. A game against Leeds is up next on the weekend, and Spurs will need to give it their all and put this loss behind and try to change their fortunes in the Premier League.
Manchester United and Liverpool have put a combined 10 goals past Marcelo Bielsa’s men this month. Those two teams are perhaps Spurs’ realistic contenders and failure to beat the Peacocks now would certainly raise even more questions about where the team stands with regards to the rest of the big 6.
