Gary Neville shares Ben Davies ‘fear’ in Tottenham thriller v Arsenal
Ben Davies’ involvement caused plenty of concern ahead of the North London derby between Tottenham and Arsena, and Gary Neville revealed the pre-match “fear” he had.
The Welsh full-back has largely been used as a backup by Ange Postecoglou this season, starting just 11 Premier League matches. However, Destiny Udogie’s injury has left the Australian with no other real option.
As well as losing pride to their North London rivals during the 3-2 defeat at the Tottenha Hotspur Stadium on Sunday (28 April), Spurs’ Champions League qualification hopes have taken another blow.
Many suggested that the battle between Davies and Bukayo Saka down Tottenham’s left flank could have an influential impact on the outcome of the match.
That prediction came to fruition during the first half as the duo were left in a one-on-one situation inside the Spurs penalty area, with Saka beating the full-back and doubling Arsenal’s lead after 27 minutes.
Speaking via Sky Sports on Sunday (28 April, 2:23pm), Neville said: “The fear before the game was Bukayo Saka against Ben Davies, isolating him and running at him one-on-one.
“This switch of play creates a real problem, you know as a full-back you’re in big trouble and Ben Davies backs off, tries to block, but Saka on that left foot as we’ve seen so many times, he delivers.”
Ben Davies struggles to deal with Bukayo Saka in Tottenham v Arsenal
Considering that Spurs kept 61 per cent of possession, Davies’ 78 per cent pass accuracy should already be a concern, especially as the second-worst pass completion out of the starting XI. [FotMob]
The full-back clearly had other issues on his mind, with Saka continuing to run at him throughout the match and cause problems for Postecoglou’s defence.
As well as struggling to help in the attacking third of the pitch, finishing the match with a 0 per cent crossing accuracy, he also won 0 per cent of his tackles in defence.
With a 50 per cent win rate in ground duels and a 33 per cent win rate in aerial duels, it is easy to argue that Spurs looked far less comfortable without Udogie at left-back.
Davies’ North London misery was completed when referee Michael Oliver dished out a yellow card for his final challenge on Saka, making his third foul of the match before being replaced by Giovani Lo Celso.
The full-back almost redeemed himself as he put his body on the line to win a penalty before being substituted, which Son Heung-min dispatched to pull Spurs within one goal of the Gunners.
Despite this, the damage was done as the Lilywhites were condemned to defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and the match-up between Davies and Saka played a significant role.
In other Tottenham news, Hutton believes Sergio Reguilon wants “out” of Spurs amid a new transfer development
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