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Pape Matar Sarr

You have to keep Sarr in for now.
Bentancur is still getting up to speed and fitness back.

I think Bentancur down the right side of the 3 we would see more interchange with Porro and support with Kulusevski. More how Maddison plays down the left.

Sarr brings a lot of energy and work rate and needs to keep getting game time to develop.
 
Bentacur is top drawer
And proven
But….
I just can’t see him playing the same way that we see Sarr playing
Sarr runs and runs a lot
I mean a crazy amount
Bentacur is more sophisticated in his game
I could see Bentacur however playing the Maddison role. It’s not how he played at Juve. It’s not even how he played for us. But he IMO excels at using space which isn’t how you see Sarr playing

nice problem to have

We're not dropping maddison or probably bissouma. So does that leave bentancur on the bench? Apart from injury or suspension.
 
You also find Sarr down the right hand side a lot with the ball and sometimes putting in crosses. I can't see Bentancur being asked to do this sort of thing....
That’s exactly the issue for me
Sarr plays as a right midfielder
Maddison left
Sarr plays right back a chunk of the time too
 
Personally I think Bentancur will get his starting spot from Sarr when back to full fitness and match fitness. If he gets back to his best.

Sarr should still get a lot of minutes and the season will surely present more injuries and suspensions.

Sarr has done really well. But he's still some way off peak Bentancur.

Sarr has really impressed though. Good reasons to be hugely optimistic about his future here.
 
Sarr has really impressed though. Good reasons to be hugely optimistic about his future here.

I read this piece only ten minutes ago so it fits well here in view of your post.

https://www.vavel.com/en/football/2023/10/29/tottenham-hotspur/1161089-what-is-pape-matar-sarr.html

It's rather over-the-top and gushing with a rose-tinted view but still...there's something there. I especially liked the chart and text below with the quote about Busquets.

"A glance at his[Sarr's] FBRef data below (source: FBRef.com) greets you with a delightful sea of bold green bars, almost across the board. When compared to other midfielders in the Premier League this season across what is now a significant sample size, you can see that Sarr scores in the upper ranges for just about everything. He passes the ball well and often, he moves possession forward, he gets himself into dangerous areas and he takes more than his fair share of shots on goal. Watching him having slotted seamlessly into the Spurs midfield this season it’s been clear to see he boasts a whole array of impressive attributes – his speed, his physicality, his passing over shorter and longer distances, his ability to make the right pass, knowing when to lay the ball off and when to drive into the space with it and his positional awareness both on and off the ball.

Sarr%20FBREF-1.png


Sarr is rarely spectacular – at least not so far. He has that rare ability to go about his business so effectively and so consistently that, at times, he can be among the best players on the pitch without you particularly noticing him. Vicente del Bosque once famously said of Sergio Busquets, “You watch the game, you don't see Busquets. You watch Busquets, you see the whole game.”
 
You also find Sarr down the right hand side a lot with the ball and sometimes putting in crosses. I can't see Bentancur being asked to do this sort of thing....
I'm sure Bentancur can adapt, he was basically doing the shift of 1.5 players last season. When you think about it, this is basically the same role as Sissoko was playing that Sarr is doing now, but of course, Sarr seems to be a lot better at it.

Personally, I'm fine with developing Sarr. It's working (for now) but of course, the aim should be to play as optimally as possible.
 
Bentancur is not going to take Sarr’s place anytime soon.

Dunno. We shouldn't rush him back. We also need to see if he can get back to his best. But if over the next few games he shows he is back. Can see him taking over the role.

Good problems to have.
 
It's up to Bentancur to earn his place but he will have chances. Sarr has been great for us so far except for the odd game. Ange doesn't hesitate subbing underperformed or tired players so Bentancur will get chances.

I think people forget about how Bentancur was our best performer in a very poor team. With Vdv, udogie, maddison and much improved biss and porro around him I expect to see Bentancur enjoy his football better.

No need to rush him back for sure.
 
It's up to Bentancur to earn his place but he will have chances. Sarr has been great for us so far except for the odd game. Ange doesn't hesitate subbing underperformed or tired players so Bentancur will get chances.

I think people forget about how Bentancur was our best performer in a very poor team. With Vdv, udogie, maddison and much improved biss and porro around him I expect to see Bentancur enjoy his football better.

No need to rush him back for sure.
But in a very different system too don’t forget
We will now be working hard on the team shape with him included I’m sure
 
Bentancur is not going to take Sarr’s place anytime soon.

Depends on what you mean by soon.

He'll first have to get to the point where he's physically ready to start a game, getting back to match fitness.

I wouldn't be so sure about Bentancur not taking that place in the starting lineup when fit.

It's up to Bentancur to earn his place but he will have chances. Sarr has been great for us so far except for the odd game. Ange doesn't hesitate subbing underperformed or tired players so Bentancur will get chances.

I think people forget about how Bentancur was our best performer in a very poor team. With Vdv, udogie, maddison and much improved biss and porro around him I expect to see Bentancur enjoy his football better.

No need to rush him back for sure.

Fully agree. No need to rush him back, but let's also remember how fantastic Bentancur was before his injury.
 
But in a very different system too don’t forget
We will now be working hard on the team shape with him included I’m sure

A different system for sure.

But do you see anything in this system that doesn't fit Bentancur? Anything in this role that doesn't fit Bentancur?

I've been wrong before and it's difficult to know before we actually see him on the pitch. But to me this role in this system seems perfect for him.
 
Fingers crossed Bentancur can reach the heights he reached pre-injury...his deft play and constantly in motion style will really suit this team.

How and when it will happen is anyone's guess, and just another one of those to and fro time burning pointless footballing questions.

The only thing we know for sure is that come January he'll have a nice run of games all to himself.
 
Depends on what you mean by soon.

He'll first have to get to the point where he's physically ready to start a game, getting back to match fitness.

I wouldn't be so sure about Bentancur not taking that place in the starting lineup when fit.



Fully agree. No need to rush him back, but let's also remember how fantastic Bentancur was before his injury.
I think it would be very harsh dropping Sarr, he is the energy in midfield that Bentancur cannot replicate.
 
I think it would be very harsh dropping Sarr, he is the energy in midfield that Bentancur cannot replicate.
I think Bentancur is a better player but not a fitter player.
And it's not like Sarr is a mug so it's not imperative that Rodrigo is thrown straight into the starting line-up on Monday.
Some opponents really will need Sarr's energy - and other abilities - to effectively counter or exploit them.
 
We are fortunate that we are in a position where we can blood Bentancur gradually to allow him get back to match fitness, but if he comes back the same player he will start more often than not.

Sarr will get brought on for him or Bissouma to help see out games this season and next season there will be plenty more games to go around. I get the impression Ange looks at the bigger picture with his subs whereas in th3 past even when we had a decent team we tended to suffer from burnout as the managers didn't trust many outside the first x1 even as fresh legs.

These debates about the starting x1 are healthy.
 
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