Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou can’t catch a break as he reveals fresh injury concern for Ben Davies after Burnley win
As one player becomes available, another must be injured, that seems to have been the pattern for Tottenham and Ange Postecoglou so far this season.
It was all going so well for the north London side on Friday 5 January.
Pedro Porro’s second-half stunner sunk Burnley at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as Postecoglou’s side advanced to the fourth round of the FA Cup after a 1-0 victory over Vincent Kompany’s men.
Ryan Sessegnon made his long-awaited and surprise return to the pitch, replacing Brennan Johnson in the 83rd minute to make his first appearance in a Spurs shirt since 5 February 2023.
Micky van de Ven was also back in the matchday squad as an unused substitute, but once again, just when it looked as if Spurs were getting their squad back together piece by piece, they were handed yet another fresh injury concern.
Speaking after his first FA Cup win as a manager, Postecoglou revealed to the media that Ben Davies appeared to have “done his hamstring,” (Alasdair Gold, 5 January).
Although van de Ven’s return to action will slightly soften the blow, this is still a huge kick in the teeth for the Australian, especially after the Welshman’s performances in recent weeks.
Davies has filled in at left centre-back in van de Ven’s absence, and he has done it while hardly putting a foot wrong.
The Wales international was brilliant once again against Burnley as he helped his side to keep a clean sheet.
As per Sofascore, the 31-year-old made two clearances, two interceptions and two tackles. In addition, he won 100 per cent of his ground duels (three out of three), and two of his three aerial duels, while he also completed 90 per cent of his passes and played five accurate long balls forward.
Davies played the full 90 minutes for Spurs, showing his high levels of professionalism by battling to the end despite picking up an injury, and if he is ruled out for an extended period, then it represents a significant loss for Tottenham and their 58-year-old head coach.
The left-back turned central defender has started Spurs’ last ten games in a row, and played every single minute across those ten matches. Tottenham’s only other clean sheet in that time came in the 2-0 win at Nottingham Forest on Friday 15 December, and Davies was once again crucial in those efforts.
In addition to winning ten duels, five on the ground and five in the air, he made six clearances, two tackles, blocked one shot and completed 92 per cent of his passes, while also playing seven accurate long balls forward.
His run in the team has seen him put up some of the best numbers in the Premier League. As per fbref, compared to other centre-backs in England’s top flight this season, Davies ranks in the top six per cent for the number of dribblers he has tackled (1.30 per 90), and the top four per cent for the number of shots he has blocked (1.40 per 90).
Most impressively, Davies has adapted well to his manager’s front-foot, possession-based style of play, sitting among the top ten per cent of his positional peers for the number of progressive passes he has played (5.79 per 90), and the top seven per cent for the number of those passes which have been into the final third (7.08 per 90).
That adaptation to Postecoglou’s front-foot style of defending was evident in the 3-3 draw with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday 3 December. While it might have gone noticed, Davies made a crucial contribution in the build-up to Giovani Lo Celso’s equalising goal midway through the second half.
With Manchester City 2-1 up and in control, the ball was flicked forward in midfield toward Erling Haaland.
Davies was alert to the danger and demonstrated a sense of desire and aggression to get to the ball first and head it back the way it had come.
His header proved to be as important defensively as it was offensively as it went through to Son Heung-min, who passed it on to Lo Celso, with the Argentina international then scoring from distance.
While Davies won’t be credited with the goal or assist, it is fair to say that the equaliser wouldn’t have happened without his defensive header high up the pitch.
Whatever the extent of his injury, Spurs fans will certainly wish him a speedy recovery and hope to see him back as soon as possible, with Tottenham’s current longest-serving player having proved that he still has plenty to offer.
In other Tottenham news, the club’s Under-21s appear to be moving in the right direction after one youngster secured a north London loan switch.