At a glance:
- De Zerbi on Bentancur and Van de Ven
- Italian suggests both players are okay
- Tottenham beat Aston Villa 2-1
Tottenham made it back-to-back Premier League wins after their 2-1 success against Aston Villa at Villa Park.
Roberto De Zerbi has certainly brought the joy back among the fans, with the Lilywhites moving out of the relegation zone.
Goals from Conor Gallagher and Richarlison gave them a two-goal lead at half-time. However, Emi Buendia caused a scare with a late goal, but it turned out to be just a consolation for Unai Emery’s side.
It wasn’t all plain sailing for Tottenham, though, as Rodrigo Bentancur was substituted prematurely.
And now, De Zerbi has provided an update on the Uruguayan, who delivered another magnificent performance in the centre of the park.
Bentancur and Van de Ven injury concerns eased
Starting in the centre of the park alongside Gallagher and Joao Palhinha, the experienced midfielder was once again at the top of his game.
In our player ratings piece, we spoke about how Bentancur pulled strings for Tottenham against a talented Aston Villa midfield as he showed signs of returning to his pre-ACL injury levels.
However, late in the game, he was substituted for Lucas Bergvall as he appeared to hit the ground with an injury.
Micky van de Ven, on the other hand, was also spotted limping, which emerged as a massive concern for Tottenham.
However, De Zerbi has allayed fears of long-term injuries to the pair.
When asked about Bentancur, the Italian just said he was ‘tired’ and had to be substituted, while he added that Van de Ven is also fine.
De Zerbi’s passionate Tottenham claim
De Zerbi has done a fine job at Tottenham so far, but claims his job is to just motivate everyone involved, while the players do the talking on the pitch.
“My job is to transfer the confidence,” said the Italian in his post-match press conference (quotes via Football London).
“[The players] To believe in themselves, be stronger than the defeat, stronger than the position in the table, stronger than the words all of you normally say about Tottenham. To show passion, value, humility and pride.”
Read More: Tottenham’s exact relegation probability drops massively after Aston Villa win
Tottenham are a point above West Ham, who replaced them in the relegation zone. The North London outfit face Leeds United next and have well over a week to prepare for that game.
A win against Daniel Farke’s side would take them as close to Premier League safety as they’ve been in recent weeks. And if their current form is anything to go by, they should produce a spirited display at the very least.
