As Spurs look to strengthen their hold on the top four spots in the English Premier League 2022–23 table, they received a huge setback in their mission. Rodrigo Bentancur suffered a ligament injury against Leicester City and is out for the remainder of the season. The Uruguayan has been an engine in Tottenham Hotspur’s midfield, and his loss is a big one for the Italian manager. The three-time Serie A winner with Juventus made a name for himself in his first full season at Spurs. Rodrigo Bentancur ran up and down the field for his side and even got on the scoresheet on a few occasions. We now look at some of the stats that show how Bentancur’s absence could be costly for Spurs in the remainder of the season.
The EPL 2022/23 season
Rodrigo Bentancur was signed in the winter transfer window last season. He had been a regular in the starting lineup since joining the North London side. This season, the player made 18 appearances, including 17 starts. The above viz shows the percentile rank of the player in comparison to other left-sided central midfielders. The Uruguayan has a decent percentile rank in the attack. He is ranked above average in the possession and defensive departments.
Progression with the ball
The 25-year-old is a box-to-box midfielder who played mostly on the right side of the midfield two. The player ran up and down the field to join his team in attack and defence. Bentancur managed to get some touches inside the opposition penalty box and accumulated 19 in total. He was a key figure in the midfield for Antonio Conte.
The midfielder has featured on both sides but has played a significant role when playing on the right side. Rodrigo Bentancur had an average of 46.53 passes per 90 minutes with a high accuracy rate of 87.1%. These included 5.23 passes to the final third (70.2% accuracy rate) and 1.17 passes to the penalty box (42.9% accuracy rate). The above viz shows that the progressive passes to the penalty box have been attempted from the right side. He even registered an assist to his name this season.
Last season, Rodrigo Bentancur showed his creative side by providing four assists in 17 English Premier League matches. He averaged 59.73 passes per 90 minutes with a 90.5% accuracy rate. The shot assist map above shows that the assists were made from passes attempted from inside the penalty box. Averaging just under a touch inside the opposition penalty box per match, Bentancur found spaces on three occasions to provide these assists. He could have added more to his only assist this season.
A significant improvement in front of the goal
After failing to score a single goal in the last season, Bentancur has gone on to score five in the current season. He has scored the second-most goals for his side in the English Premier League this season.
Last season, Bentancur attempted 13 shots and had a low accuracy rate of 15.4%. Most of his shots came from outside the opposition’s penalty box. He even got chances to take shots from the edge of the six-yard box but was unable to find the back of the net with those shots.
This season, he attempted the same number of shots, but the accuracy rate was 69.2%. He was more clinical in finding the back of the net. The midfielder scored three goals from inside the penalty box and two from the edge of it. The 25-year-old targeted the left side of the goalkeeper. There is no other midfielder at Spurs who is able to get into such high positions inside the opposition penalty box. Antonio Conte was able to get some goals from the midfielder.
Defending the goal
Rodrigo Bentancur’s role is not only to assist the attack but also to create a shield in front of the defence. The midfielder has to perform his defensive duties and stop the opposition from scoring goals. The above viz shows the defensive territory of the player. He lacks a bit of discipline and gave up 1.28 fouls per 90 minutes. These fouls resulted in eight yellow card bookings. His interception rate stands at 5.45 per 90 minutes, with a few coming just inside his team’s penalty box. It will be interesting to see who does all the dirty work for Conte in Bentancur’s absence.
Betting Analysis
As per the 1×2 betting odds, the odds rate for Spurs will slightly go up due to Bentancur’s absence from the team. He was a key member of the team this season, and his loss will be difficult to deal with for the remainder of the season.
Rodrigo Bentancur will be a big miss for Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League and UEFA Champions League. He was an endless runner who added a bit of an attacking touch to his game this season. Now Antonio Conte will have to deal without the player for the rest of the season. The fans will be hoping for a speedy recovery so that the player delivers better performances in the next season.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine