Tottenham Hotspur totally delivered on Sunday afternoon against Everton, turning aside one of the Premier League's bounce back sides with a bounce back performance of their own. After losing to Aston Villa and nearly getting played off the pitch in the Champions League by Monaco, Spurs turned in a much different performance at the Premier League weekend with a 3-0 drubbing of Everton.
Central to the win was a much improved performance by center midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur, who started alongside Joao Palhinha yet again. While this duo has been central to quite a few disappointing performances in recent weeks, Bentancur finally stepped up with a good performance after a questionable decision to renew his contract.
Thomas Frank seems to be quite pleased with his main midfield pivot, and even though many Tottenham fans want to see him divest from Bentancur and go with one of the young stars like Pape Matar Sarr, Lucas Bergvall, or Archie Gray, that may not be changing based on this praise.
Tottenham won't waver from Rodrigo Bentancur
Here's what Frank had to say about Bentancur and Palhinha at the press conference heading into Wednesday night's League Cup action against tough customers Newcastle United, via Football. London's Ryan Taylor:
"I think it's very clear. I think both of them today were excellent. I think they were very good on the ball. I think they were excellent defensively, landed on the second ball when they needed to. I think we controlled the game more, I think the bounce passes and the bits and pieces to build up and control the game was very good. So, in a time where we are building and going to the next level, I think they are extremely important."
Since pretty much day one, Frank has been behind Bentancur, and he has never wavered from the Uruguayan, even when the experienced former Juventus midfielder has let him down. Well, he didn't let him down and only vindicated him with a vintage holding performance against Everton as Spurs controlled the action.
The key for Bentancur will be being consistent every week and against all types of opponents, because that's what it takes to be a regular starter for a Champions League side. At no point in his career has Bentancur actually solidified that status, though, and given he has far less upside than any of Sarr, Bergvall, or Gray, Spurs supporters are likely to remain far more skeptical than their manager.