Tottenham boss Antonio Conte is excited by the idea of a partnership between Oliver Skipp and Rodrigo Bentancur in midfield according to The Athletic journalist Charlie Eccleshare.
Antonio Conte has come close to finding his ideal set-up at Spurs, with the club now in a tense battle to qualify for the Champions League next season.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur, who arrived at the club from Juventus in January have formed a partnership in the middle of the park over the last couple of months with both tasked with keeping possession and breaking up the play.
However, there is no doubting Skipp’s importance to the side with the Spurs academy graduate known for his tenacity and aggression, and his ball retention better than most midfielders in the division.
Eccleshare has now revealed there is a long-term vision from the club for him to play next to Bentancur in the heart of the side.
He told The View from The Lane podcast: “There is a sentiment at the club, there is a lot of excitement about that Skipp and Bentancur partnership. We’ve never seen it so there is the element of the unknown about it.
“I’m told that the win-loss ratios were so different when Skipp is playing and when he isn’t, you often realise a player’s importance when he’s not there. With Skipp, we did get a sense of how important he was when he dropped out of the team.
“The win-loss ratios were so different when Skipp is playing and when he isn’t”
According to WhoScored in February.
Antonio Conte is yet to get the chance to play Oliver Skipp and Rodrigo Bentancur together in the heart of Tottenham’s midfield as Skipp has been injured since the 2-0 defeat to Chelsea that month.
The 21-year-old midfielder is referred to as ‘coach’s dream’ thanks to his passing, work rate, vision and tactical understanding which allows him to shieldsm the defence well and breaks up play efficently, before recyling possession to good effect that allows Spurs to remain defensively sound and to regain their shape when they do win the ball back.
Bentancur has taken to life in the Premier League like a duck to water, and there’s reason to believe a partnership with Skipp would be brilliant.
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