Tottenham’s 0-0 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt last week was summed up by a late passage of play which included one of the only moments of real individual quality.
In the 91st minute, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg spun away from an opponent on the edge of his own box and charged up the pitch on the break. The Dane passed to Harry Kane and kept going, but the striker’s return ball was wildly over-hit and another Spurs attack broke down.
Spurs’s wasteful front three was the story of a forgettable game but, while Kane, Heung-min Son and Richarlison all frustrated in Germany, Hojbjerg and midfield partner Rodrigo Bentancur were quietly assured. The pair were also the outstanding performers in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Brighton — this time aided by a third midfielder, in Yves Bissouma — and the former two are all but certain to keep their places tonight.
Hojbjerg and Bentancur formed an excellent partnership from February last season as Spurs clicked into gear, but they were expected to face stiffer competition for places this term from summer signing Bissouma and Oliver Skipp.
Instead, Hojbjerg is one of four Spurs players to have started every game (along with Kane, Hugo Lloris and Eric Dier), and Bentancur was absent only from the 1-1 draw at West Ham, which he sat out under concussion protocols.
Fit-again Skipp is still waiting for his first Spurs start since January, while Bissouma has made just two since a £25million move from Brighton. The Malian is likely to drop to the bench tonight if Conte reverts to 3-4-3.
Conte’s faith in Hojbjerg and Bentancur is based on trust. He demands his players follow his instructions to the letter, and the pair are both willing lieutenants, fit enough and tactically astute enough to carry out their boss’s orders.
Conte’s faith in Hojbjerg and Bentancur is based on trust; they are willing, fit and tactically astute enough to carry out orders.
By contrast, Bissouma is still learning to play Conte’s football, having found it harder to adapt than Richarlison and centre-back Clement Lenglet, and history suggests the 26-year-old may not be fully up to speed until the second half of the campaign. Cesc Fabregas at Chelsea and Christian Eriksen at Inter Milan both took at least half a season to fully understand Conte’s demands.
Skipp was a favourite of Conte before his injuries and this season has fallen into the same category as Matt Doherty, with the head coach not convinced that the 22-year-old is yet fit enough to play his way into his starting XI.
That said, Hojbjerg and Bentancur have earned their places and are among the best examples of players who are continuing to improve under Conte.
Hojbjerg was signed as Jose Mourinho’s midfield water-carrier but is impressing as a creator, too. He has already scored twice and set up two goals this season, while only Barcelona prodigy Pedri has more pre-assists (the pass before the assist) than the Dane in Europe’s top five leagues. His total of four matches Kevin De Bruyne and Lionel Messi, and includes the pass to Son, who crossed for Kane’s goal on Saturday.
Uruguayan Bentancur is also having more of an impact in the final third, having scored one and made another in the 6-2 win over Leicester, his first club goal since January 2020.
Bissouma, billed as a more dynamic option, sat deepest on Saturday, allowing Hojbjerg and Bentancur to get forward.
Ahead of tonight’s match, Conte spoke about the need for rotation, but said, pointedly, the team must maintain “balance” and “our identity” with changes.
Hojbjerg and Bentancur offer that balance, and Conte is unlikely to rest either much in the next 10 games before the winter break.
The second half of the season is a complete unknown from this side of the World Cup, but Conte’s options should be more fluid after the tournament, when he will have spent several weeks with Skipp and Bissouma, while Hojbjerg and Bentancur are in Qatar.
For now, though, Hojbjerg and Bentancur are among Conte’s undroppables — and their displays justify the faith shown in them by their demanding boss.
