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Opinion
Dejan Kulusevski will get the praise but Tottenham had a clear unsung hero against Manchester City
Tottenham Hotspur put in a hearty display on Wednesday night in their Carabao Cup victory over Manchester City.
Both Ange Postecoglou and Pep Guardiola rotated their starting XI for the game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
And it was Tottenham who prevailed on the night with a spot in the quarter finals now await the Lilywhites against Manchester United.
There were plenty of positives to take from the game with Guardiola impressed with Tottenham’s speed on the night.
Dejan Kulusevski continued his fine run of form by grabbing himself two assists and the Player of the Match award.
However, there was one Tottenham player who also put in a solid display which will likely go under the radar.
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Rodrigo Bentancur showed why he should be start for Tottenham
Postecoglou mixed his midfield up once again with Pape Matar Sarr’s goal leaving Erling Haaland stunned in the City dugout.
The Senegal international was withdrawn at half time but one player to remain on the pitch for the entirety of the game was Rodrigo Bentancur.
Having started eight of his 12 appearances this season, Bentancur showed exactly why he should be one of the first names on the team sheet on Wednesday night.
- 90 minutes played
- 41 touches
- 22/24 successful passes
- 5/8 ground duels won
- 6 clearances
- 2 interceptions
- 5 tackles
Spurs have been able to keep just two clean sheets in the Premier League this season with the defence often exposed due to Postecoglou’s attacking philosophy.
Clearly, Postecoglou was delighted with Bentancur’s performance but there has not been much praise in the media following the game.
Pep Guardiola approves Kulusevski and Bentancur Spurs midfield
Tottenham have often been able to get the better of Guardiola’s City over recent years and Guardiola has been full of praise for the Lilywhites.
Kulusevski once again showed how much better he is playing in midfield rather than out on the wing on Wednesday night.
And Guardiola has previously hailed Kulusevski and Bentancur following City’s 4-2 victory over Spurs back in the 2022/23 campaign.
“Kulusevski, Son, even Bentancur and the other one, they make incredible switch of plays, opposite sides. The threat they have in every single moment is incredible,” Guardiola said.
With another big game coming up on the weekend against Aston Villa, the Uruguayan and Swede demonstrated once again their partnership in the middle.
Although Postecoglou is constantly changing his midfield three, it would surely be hard for him to look beyond the trio that started against City on Wednesday night.