Rodrigo Bentancourt will miss some big Premier League games for Tottenham Hotspur due to suspension.
Roberto De Zerbi will be without Rodrigo Bentancur for three Premier League matches after he was sent off for violent conduct during Tottenham Hotspur’s tough draw with Manchester United.
On the last quarter of the hour at Old Trafford on Saturday night, the ball broke down the left and struck Lilywhites midfielder Luke Shaw, desperate to snuff out an attack in his backline. The defender of “Red Devils” blocked Bentankur who won the ball.
Frustrated by the challenge, Matheus Cunha charged forward to smash the ball into the billboard, but the Uruguay international was able to clear his lines before his opponent arrived on the scene. By this time, Stuart Atwell had already blown the whistle and decided that Bentancourt was simply being rude to Shaw.
The Tottenham midfielder was then pushed off the pitch by a Red Devils defender and fell to the ground. Bentancourt jumped to his feet and put his head in Shaw’s face, sparking a massive brawl.
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The Uruguayan was eventually shown a red card, which was quickly confirmed by the video assistant referee. As quoted by Premier League Match Centre, they said: “He puts his head on Shaw with a bit of force – that’s violent behaviour. He gets up and goes into Shaw and there’s head movement.”
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, De Zerbi admitted his player had made a “mistake” but added it led to the reaction his side needed to salvage a point. He said: “I kissed Bentancur in the dressing room because we need that kind of reaction, that kind of character.
“Football is character. I liked the situation with the red card. We need a situation at this moment, not to bring a red card, but not to accept defeat.”
De Zerbi continued: “I am very happy because I saw the right spirit, the right character and I want to start with this character, this reaction, this behavior. Now the goal is to build a team.
“We are a great group of players, but we are not yet a team, and being a team is about playing for your teammates, suffering together, attacking together.”
He added: “Today, for the first time this season, we showed that we are a team. We played for our teammates, we played together, we stayed inside the game in every situation and we attacked as a team and we defended as a team.”
Bentancourt, who was fined for violent conduct, must now serve a three-match ban, keeping him out until November. So, with that said, football.london He looked at which games the Tottenham star will miss due to suspension.
Coventry City (H) – Premier League – Monday 19 October
Frank Lampard has failed to beat Tottenham in each of his last four attempts as a manager, despite completing the double with Chelsea in 2019/20. They won their first game of the Premier League season just before the international break, beating Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, so they could be brimming with confidence.
Chelsea (A) – Premier League – Saturday 24 October
The Battle of the Bridge will be played under lights at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea have won 11 of their last 13 games against Tottenham, regardless of venue, in all competitions, losing just once, so De Zerbi will be keen to even that record even without Bentancourt to light the fire.
Crystal Palace (H) – Premier League – Saturday 31 October
Crystal Palace will have just two days to prepare for their trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, reaching the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, so De Zerbi will be under pressure to make good use of the extra time on the training ground.