Ange Postecoglou said that he is waiting for confirmation on the extent of Rodrigo Bentancur’s injury but admitted that it is the last thing that Tottenham needed, given their bloated injuries and suspensions list.
Bentancur made his first start for Tottenham since February and the midfielder was arguably the best player on the pitch in the first half an hour of the game.
However, he had to come off on 32 minutes after receiving a knock on the ankle from Matty Cash, who was booked for a rash challenge.
Spurs lost a bit of control in the middle of the park once Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg came on for the Uruguayan but the home side still created more than enough chances to have put the game out of sight.
Ange Postecoglou’s men were not clinical enough in front of goal and were punished by Aston Villa, who handed them their third straight defeat of the season.
Rodrigo Bentancur injured by a ‘poor’ challenge
Postecoglou remarked that the challenge from the Villa right-back was a poor one and admitted that it is far from ideal to lose Bentancur again.
When asked about the extent of the 26-year-old’s injury, the Tottenham head coach told Football.London: “Yeah, not sure. It is his ankle I think. It wasn’t a great tackle.
“I thought he started the game so well and I think it was the reason we got a real good foothold on the game. He’s such a creative player.
“It’s the last thing we needed, another injury. So disappointed to lose him but we’re yet to see the extent of it.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Bentancur coming off was arguably the turning point of the game as Villa started getting a bit of a foothold only after the Uruguayan went off. Having said that, we created more than enough opportunities to have won that game comfortably.