Ginola "He is going to be a tremendous player"

Player Assessment: Nabil Bentaleb

Next up in the Tottenham Hotspur Blog News (THBN) Player Assessment Series are the defensive midfield players, who form two groups. Tottenham play with attacking full-backs which means the centre-backs move wider and a defensive midfielder sits in the middle ready to form a three man defence should our attack break down.

The other defensive midfielder has more attacking licence, he is a link man and joins an attack, one of his main roles is switching play quickly, receive from one side and quickly give to the other.

First we will look at the three players from the former group, the three with greater defensive responsibility and we begin with Nabil Bentaleb.

Nabul Bentaleb

He was introduced by Tim Sherwood and immediately looked at home but as some fans have a prejudice against Sherwood they dislike Bentaleb as a result, crazy the way some people think and form their beliefs.

"Nabil, definitely, is training so well that he is always in contention to break in to the team."

The words of Tim Sherwood? No they were the words of Andre Villas Boas when talking about the young Algerian, indeed the club offered Bentaleb a 4-year contract under the Portuguese.

“It’s about the heat of the battle and knowing who you can trust, and the kid’s ready to play. I knew what I was going to get. I knew he wouldn’t be fazed. He was cool. He trains like every day is the last day in the world, listens and has a fantastic attitude. I know I can trust that kid.”

That is what Tim Sherwood said after his Southampton debut and clearly Mauricio Pochettino believes the same, that is exactly the type of player we need at Spurs. Former Tottenham winger David Ginola has no doubt about his talent.

"I have watched him many times and he is a young talent. He will be even better in two or three years’ time. He has lots of progress in front of him. He is going to be a tremendous player.”

Last season was a learning curve for him and so was this, his first full season in the Premier League. Has he made mistakes? Of course he has he is learning his craft, but he is only 20 and we could well see him in a Spurs shirt for the next 10 years if he stays at the club.

His Positive Attacking Action (Total Minutes divided by Shots, Goals, Assists, Key passes, Chances Created combined) time of 1 every 37.83 minutes is a clear 29 minutes ahead of Stambouli and Capoue which partly explains why he is first choice. He has more years ahead of him than the other two and appears to have more determination and a desire to play at a quicker pace, a Pochettino requirement for the role.

When taking on an opponent his success is 84.85% which is 13% higher than Stambouli and a massive 43% higher than Capoue, while he wins 12% more headers that Stambouli and also performs a Defensive Action (Total Minutes Played divided by Blocks, Clearances, Interceptions) 6 minutes more often the Stambouli.

Bentaleb still has growing and developing to do but he now looks even more assured on the ball although at times his passing could be better. Reports from Italy say Lazio want him and Manchester City are reported to want him also so he is catching the eye. He has good dribbling skills, has good close control and has excellent technically ability.

His recent performances at left-back show his versatility and he can also play further forward so he could take over the Ryan Mason role if another defensive minded midfield player were to play alongside him, he gives the squad options. He has the confidence to dribble, twist and turn his way out of tight spots before giving the ball.

As the season  went on he looked better and better, in 2 years he is going toi be quite a player, then the dissenting voices will be grateful Sherwood introduced him.

Premier League Games Only

Nabil Bentaleb
Played: 26
Minutes: 2,194
Total Passes: 1,563
Pass Completion: 86.76%
Forward Passes: 61.74%
Key Passes: 14
Key Pass Time: 1 every 156.71 minutes
Chances Created: 16
Chance Creation Time: 1 every 137.13 minutes
Shots: 26
Shot Accuracy: 24%
Goals: 0
Assists: 2
Positive Attacking Action: 1 every 37.83 minutes
(Total Minutes divided by Shots, Goals, Assists, Key passes, Chances Created combined)
Tackles: 97
Tackles Won: 46.39%
Blocks: 9
Interceptions: 54
Clearances: 65
Take On Success: 84.85%
Heading Success: 59.65%
Defensive Action: 1 every 17.14 minutes
(Total Minutes divided by Blocks, Clearances, Interceptions)

On the field he is a leader, he's not afraid to say what needs to be said which suggests he is captaincy material, not bad for a player rejected by French clubs. He has the key element needed for success, a mentality to improve, a winning mentality.

He still needs to work on his concentration, his passing and reading of the game but he made a step forward last season and it will be important to tie him into a long term contract with a new stadium to be built. With money becoming tight it will be vital to have a team that can stay together for a few years, he should be a part of that.

Nabil Bentaleb is a gem in the making which augers well for next season and our longer term future.

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