Tottenham defender Ben Davies should keep his place against West Ham after 96% display vs Manchester City
Ben Davies demonstrated his credentials as Micky van de Ven’s understudy during the 3-3 draw between Tottenham and Manchester City on Sunday 3 December.
Very few people expected Ange Postecoglou’s side to get anything from their trip up north to face reigning Premier League champions Manchester City last time out.
Nonetheless, Dejan Kulusevski’s last-minute equaliser ensured the points were shared and rounded off a gripping six-goal thriller, and while this was certainly a favourable result for the north London outfit, Postecoglou will be hoping his side can enjoy a less stressful evening against London rivals West Ham on Thursday 7 December.
David Moyes’ men arrive off the back of a disappointing 1-1 home draw with Crystal Palace, and Spurs supporters will be quietly confident that they can use this match as a chance to get back to winning ways.
Cristian Romero will be available for selection once again after his three-match suspension following his red card against Chelsea last month, which means the centre-back duo of Davies and Emerson Royal which started at the Etihad Stadium and against Aston Villa before that is likely to be broken up.
However, with van de Ven still out injured, one of either Emerson or Davies will maintain their place in the starting lineup alongside Romero, and as reported by the Evening Standard (7 December), Postecoglou looks set to entrust the Welshman with that responsibility.
While Davies isn’t always a fan favourite at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, he is the only available left-footed defender in the squad, and it therefore makes sense for him to fill in on the left-hand side of a back two. In addition to this, his performance against City was an assured one which demonstrated that he is deserving of more opportunities in the team.
As per Sofascore, the 30-year-old completed an impressive 96 per cent of his passes against the champions, compared with Emerson’s 92 per cent completion rate, with the Brazillian also making one error which led to a shot.
Postecoglou requires defenders who are comfortable on the ball and able to receive possession under pressure, things Davies proved he is much more suited to doing than Emerson during the match against Pep Guardiola’s side.
It wasn’t just his ability on the ball which was superior that afternoon, but his defending too. Davies was dribbled past zero times, compared to Emerson who was dribbled past three times, while the former Swansea man won 100 per cent of both his ground and aerial duels.
During the 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa on Sunday 26 November, Davies was relatively solid once again, completing 94 per cent of his passes, making three tackles, three clearances and two interceptions.
Romero will be involved once again against West Ham on Thursday night, and the Argentine’s quality coupled with Davies’ composure could make for a well-suited pairing at the back for Postecoglou.
In other Tottenham news, the club’s Under-18s proved they have learned from previous failure in their FA Youth Cup victory.