Rodrigo Bentancur reveals what Conte likes most about him
Rodrigo Bentancur has said that his positioning is his biggest strength, and the attribute that Antonio Conte likes the most about him. In the eleven months he has spent at the club, Conte has shaped the team into a dogged outfit who are hard to play against, with the Lilywhites showing a knack for picking […]
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Rodrigo Bentancur has said that his positioning is his biggest strength, and the attribute that Antonio Conte likes the most about him.
In the eleven months he has spent at the club, Conte has shaped the team into a dogged outfit who are hard to play against, with the Lilywhites showing a knack for picking up results.
The Italian’s passion and intensity on the touchline is there for all to see during matchdays and Bentancur revealed that the 53-year-old is exactly the same during training sessions.
The midfielder told Sky Sports about Conte: “Antonio has a lot of qualities, but I think above all he is a manager who wants to win and is very motivational. He lives football like few other managers I have known.
“You see it on the bench. He is in the game all the time. He doesn’t relax for a second and he doesn’t allow us to relax either. I believe that is one of the most important things about him.
“After that, he has given an identity to the team that we didn’t have before, in terms of the way we play, and I think we are showing the benefits of that this season. He wants to win, like all of us. It’s a pleasure to have him as my manager.”
Conte has spoken in the past about the importance of the two central midfielders in his 3-4-3 system, with both having to get their positioning perfect and join in attacks at the right time (Spurs TV).
Bentancur has revealed the Italian demands that his midfielders are well-positioned at all times – something the Uruguayan feels comes naturally to him.
The former Juve man added: “Above all, tactically, he likes his players to be well-positioned. I think I’ve learned that very well and I do it very well. I would say it’s my biggest strength, actually. It’s what he likes most about me.
“He also asks that we never drop our intensity, that we try to always press and don’t allow the opposition to have the ball easily. Then, he wants us to try to play our game, to enjoy ourselves when we can. I think generally we have been doing that.”
Bentancur also revealed that he has brought Daniel Fernandez, a family friend who has acted as his personal trainer from his time at Boca Juniors, with him to England.
When asked about the work he does with Fernandez, the Spurs star responded: “He is my father’s best friend, I call him my uncle. We worked very hard on the physical aspects when I arrived here. He analyses my performances, too. The good passes, the bad ones, the balls I win.
“Now, in this period where we are playing every three days, we don’t do so much physical work, it is more about recovery, the small details. I give a lot of importance to those details. All the work we do is to help me improve.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Conte’s emphasis on the positioning is understandable, given that Spurs only play with two midfielders and get outnumbered in the middle of the park quite regularly.
That is the one area where Bissouma does not appear to be quite up to speed yet, which might be why Conte is reluctant to hand starts to the Mali international.
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The post Rodrigo Bentancur reveals what Conte likes most about him appeared first on Spurs Web - Tottenham Hotspur Football News.