Tottenham’s Nabil Bentaleb got incredibly unfair treatment from the German media after his loan move to Schalke. Arriving in the Bundesliga, the Spurs player was hyped up beyond any reason whatsoever, and when he immediately failed to reach those heights, he suffered very harsh criticism, mainly from Bild.
The Tottenham loan player was one of several singled out by Bild for harsh critique. It claimed he had a ‘mentality misery’, was a ‘Schalke slacker’, wasn’t taking his time at the club seriously enough, and had an issue with his ego.
This was after Schalke lost five Bundesliga games on the bounce, and it wasn’t only Bentaleb getting it, but it seemed especially unfair to the 21 year old Tottenham owned player.
It got so bad at one point that it would have been no surprise if Maurico Pochettino and Tottenham were keeping a close eye on the situation, and considering encouraging Schalke to cut the negative leaks to the press.
Things change quickly, and Bentaleb is now once again the best thing since sliced brot. An impressive few games continued with a 0-0 draw against Borussia Dortmund at the weekend.
Bentlaeb got the very best mark of the day from Bild, the Tottenham man receiving a 2. That may not sound great, but Bild work their markings on the German school grading system, and a 2 is very good indeed.
Dortmund were blunted and Bentlaeb helped control the midfield. Mario Gotze was so frustrated after the match that Bild quote him as saying “This feels shit.”
Bentaleb’s performances have meant that Bild now have to leave the Tottenham player alone, and are returning to praise. The youngster doing well in Germany is important for Tottenham, it may convince Pochettino that he can do a job for Spurs, and otherwise would help the Premier League club get a good sum if next summer sees a permanent transfer.
