Nabil Bentaleb has been a part of the Spurs midfield for many games now. He has started multiple games, perhaps through the huge gap in the roster that injury has caused, but also through the backing of new coach Tim Sherwood.
The left-footed Frenchman played the full 90 minutes in the disappointing draw against Hull in the league. He possessed a touch of class where he brought balls out of the air as if he was 29 rather than 19. He also spread the play about well, getting the ball out to the wings or playing safe back to the defenders if needed be.
It came as quite a shock that Sherwood has put so much faith in Bentaleb, after loaning Lewis Holtby in the January transfer window as well as choosing Bentaleb over other options before the game against Hull. Many fans do not agree with Sherwood’s backing of Bentaleb, but so far Nabil hasn’t put too bad a wrong foot. He has aptly performed in midfield alongside different partners of Mousa Dembele and Paulinho, two varying players. He came incredibly close to scoring a belter against Crystal Palace, smacking the post. He also put a 20 yard volley just wide of the post against post. Soon he will open his account for Spurs, and it certainly won’t be a tap in!
Will Bentaleb still have a first team place when others return? No, but he would certainly be a good player to bring off the bench in the later stages of games. The likes of Sandro and Dembele simply have to start in midfield. When Andros Townsend and Erik Lamela return, Bentaleb may not make the bench because there would be Christian Eriksen, Dembele, Paulinho, and Sandro to choose from. He’s good, but he’s not quite good enough, yet.
At 19 years old, the Frenchman is looking a quality player. He clearly has an eye for passing, as well as the ability to shoot. It’s early doors, and anything can happen in a footballers career, but it’s looking promising for Nabil. It would be very interesting to see how he progresses. He could quite possibly be a key Spurs man for the future, maybe lift trophies and go down in the record books for the club.
