Spurs fans angry at ’embarrassing’ Bentancur after footage emerges
Some Spurs fans have been left enraged after recent footage shows the critical role Rodrigo Bentancur played in conceding Aston Villa’s second goal.
A difficult week for Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur’s recent outings have not just been about defeat, but about the manner in which those losses occurred.
It all started with a crushing 4-0 loss to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-final. On paper, losing to a strong Liverpool side could be rationalised, but it was the abysmal performance on the pitch that truly worried fans.
Instead of using that result as a wake-up call, Tottenham followed it up with another poor display against Aston Villa, crashing out of yet another cup competition with a 2-1 defeat.
Bentancur’s lazy defending sparks Spurs fan backlash
The focus of Spurs fan frustration has shifted heavily onto Rodrigo Bentancur after a video emerged highlighting his role in Aston Villa’s second goal.
While many had blamed Pedro Porro initially, further analysis revealed Bentancur’s poor defensive awareness as the primary issue.
Spurs fans did not hold back in their criticism, with several taking to social media to vent their frustrations in a tweet shared by HotspurReports.
One fan, Snuwtbi, summed up the frustration, saying, “My take on Bentancur is that he is really good at doing basically any aspect of the game, but he does not ever know what the right thing to do is.“
Another fan, Dre, was more direct in his assessment: “The Ramsey goal where they are blaming Porro, fault is with Bentancur. The gap between midfield and defence was atrocious and Bentancur wanting to win the ball for the sake of it instead of reading the situation properly was not a mistake I would expect from a senior player.“
Paolo Martone reflected on Bentancur’s performances beyond Tottenham, sharing, “I must confess I did not really like him at Juve. He is a typical modern-day average midfielder who gets by on being decent at everything, plays the easy ball and rarely affects the game. And obviously yes, if he is under-motivated, he is not the best at tracking his man.“
Others questioned his recent form, with Mixy1967 commenting, “He has been poor all season, he is definitely not the same player as he was before the ACL injury. Lots of people slated Hojbjerg, but we really miss him.”
Some fans took a broader view of the team’s defensive issues, like ThatGuy, who drew a parallel to Manchester United’s struggles, saying, “I have seen this movie many times with UTD managers. When players stop playing for their manager, midfield gets open, no tracking back runs, no tackles, goals like this in the box. You cannot do anything about it.”
Fatigue, tactics, or just bad defending?
While many fans directed their anger at Bentancur, others looked at the bigger picture, questioning whether the issues run deeper than just one player.
One fan, Joel Di Castri, highlighted the tactical setup under Ange Postecoglou, saying, “There are a lot of defensive issues to unpack here. The defending on the front-foot mentality seems to have created a lack of awareness of what is happening behind.”
It is a fair point, considering the high-intensity style Postecoglou demands from his players. Fatigue could also be playing a part, especially given the injury crisis that has left the squad stretched thin.
However, even with tired legs, certain mistakes are avoidable, and Bentancur’s failure to track back at such a crucial moment was undoubtedly one of those.
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