New Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi got it handed to him over the weekend in a 1-0 loss to Sunderland, and while a few media types will excuse him by saying that Spurs were even worse in the game before or that it is difficult for him to win immediately with this team, those true statements don't absolve De Zerbi of the blame. Playing all three of his subpar strikers was a terrible decision, as was benching Xavi Simons. His adjustments stunk, his ideas were not there, and Spurs were badly outplayed.
But yes, De Zerbi does need some time to get things to gel, and Tottenham have no way to go but up - and there were already signs even in another shutout loss to Sunderland that Spurs can make those strides under the Italian manager.
Heading into this weekend's game against his former Premier League employers Brighton, De Zerbi may be getting another option he can insert into his starting lineup. After tearing his hamstring a couple of months ago, center midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur is now joining practice with the rest of his Tottenham teammates.
Rodrigo Bentancur is another choice
It may be too soon for Bentancur to start against Brighton this weekend, but with a few days still left until Saturday's fixture, he should be an option in the squad. And then a weekend later in the most vital fixture of the season thus far against bottom feeders Wolves, Bentancur would almost certainly be ready to start.
Although the reality is that Rodrigo Bentancur is part of the reason why Tottenham are in the predicament they are in because he is yet another overrated, mediocre veteran player, he is better than many of the options Spurs have. It's almost a wash between him and Pape Matar Sarr, while his experience may actually make him a better option in Roberto De Zerbi's eyes than an out of form Lucas Bergvall in a relegation fight. And he's definitely superior to the player Spurs signed after his injury, Conor Gallagher.
At the very least, Bentancur is another option for De Zerbi to utilize in his starting lineup as he continues to tweak his way to finding a winning formula in this disaster of an organization. Bentancur probably lacks the overall quality and bravery to be a true standout as a deep lying midfielder in the De Zerbi system, but he should be good enough to make De Zerbi's pet favorite Gallagher obsolete.
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