The latest stats regarding the passing of Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur show that Tottenham’s midfield problem is even worse than many Spurs fans feared.
A lot of Spurs fans are livid that Frank continues to play the same double pivot, with many feeling that playing Palhinha and Bentancur together leaves the side short of creativity.
However, Frank has continued to defend Tottenham’s midfield balance, and given his recent statements, there appears to be no indication that he is going to drop one of the two for Pape Sarr.
The Tottenham boss may need to look at the passing stats of the Uruguayan and Portuguese stars from their last two games, which clearly show there is a massive issue.
Tottenham duo rarely pass the ball forward
Sky Sports have taken a look at the passing stats of the two midfielders, and it is clear as day that Tottenham have a major problem with Bentancur and Palhinha.
They reveal that out of the 58 passes that the pair played against Monaco on Wednesday last week, only seven of them were forward passes.
Cumulatively, Palhinha and Bentancur only found Richarlison three times across the whole game, while they did not play a pass to Randal Kolo Muani even once.
Against Aston Villa last week, only 15 of the duo’s 79 were forward passes, while they only managed to find Mathys Tel once between them.
Spurs have a poor record when Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha start
Frank has argued that the Bentancur and Palhinha partnership makes Tottenham solid defensively, but the side’s record when they both play is poor.
Sky Sports point out that when they have both started together, Spurs have only won three of their nine matches, one of which was against Doncaster Rovers in the Carabao Cup.
When at least one of the two or both players do not start, Spurs have won three of their four matches. Although the same space is small, the difference in Tottenham’s record is stark.