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'Give them a breather'- Rotation key for Thomas Frank’s midfield dilemma as Tottenham prepare for Chelsea

Originally posted on To The Lane And Back
By Rohan Sengupta | Last updated Nov 1, 2025 10:33 AM ET

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank discusses plans to manage the workload of midfielders Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur

Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea face off under the lights on Saturday in a fiercely contested London derby at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

After exiting the Carabao Cup with a 2-0 defeat to Newcastle in midweek, Thomas Frank must be desperate for a response from his boys and no better opponent than our rivals Chelsea to bounce back and prove the fans. Before the Carabao Cup defeat, the Lilywhites’ only win in their last four games has come in the 3-0 away win over Everton last weekend.

Thomas Frank had injury absentees in double digits when facing Newcastle on Wednesday evening. The injury list has been growing like anything, worrying the Danish tactician and the fans. In a welcome news for our fans, Frank provided a triple injury boost ahead of the Chelsea fixture. He has confirmed that Cristian Romero, Destiny Udogie and Wilson Odobert are all available for selection.

Thomas Frank opens up on managing Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur’s workload

Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha have been mainstays in Frank’s XI, forming a strong partnership at the base of the Tottenham midfield. The Dane has opted for the duo in the double pivot in most of the games, and they have delivered the goods.

Joao Palhinha has been among the most utilised players, racking up 16 appearances, while Rodrigo Bentancur has 14 outings under his belt. While Frank has received criticism from certain sections of the fans for not using the pair effectively, it is fair to say that their partnership have solidified the Lilywhites’ midfield and provided sufficient protection to the defensive unit too.

When addressing the media ahead of the Chelsea fixture, Frank was asked about managing the workload of Bentancur and Palhinha. The Spurs gaffer said:

“I think it’s of course I think to still try to get the right rotation right. I think again we early doors in the season. It’s not that uh it’s more mental if you can be able to go again physically go again go again.

“I think that’s a part of it, but of course you need to look into to hit that perfect h little rotation sometimes uh to give them a breather.”

Palhinha and Bentancur expected to start vs Chelsea

Frank is a pragmatic manager with safety first approach, emphasising on the defensive structures and set-pieces. The idea to use Palhinha and Bentancur in the middle of the park has worked well, even if it irks some sections of the fans due to their lack of creativity and ball progression. At home, the fans expect the Danish tactician to be bold and use either one of them as a No.6 and pair him with Lucas Bergvall or Pape Matar Sarr for more dynamism and creativity.

However, we don’t expect Frank to alter things when it comes to midfield, with Palhinha and Bentancur likely to start against Enzo Maresca’s side on Saturday. As Chelsea are possession-heavy, attacking side, having two blockers to not let Tottenham’s get overrun would be the right strategy.

This article first appeared on To The Lane And Back and was syndicated with permission.

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