View: Emerson Royal could be key for Tottenham as Ben Davies struggles again
Destiny Udogie has been one of the standout performers for Tottenham in their superb start to the Premier League season, but his absence was not felt against Crystal Palace.
Not in the second half at Selhurst Park, at least, because Emerson Royal was introduced from the substitutes’ bench and performed admirably after replacing the ineffective Ben Davies.
It is not yet known if Udogie will be back to face Chelsea on Tottenham’s return to Premier League action on 6 November, but if not – and Ange Postecoglou will certainly not want to take any unnecessary risks – then Royal will surely get the nod over Davies at left-back.
As good a servant as Davies has been to Tottenham – and he does still have his part to play this season, thanks in large to his versatility – he struggled in the 2-1 win over Palace on Friday (27 October).
The Wales international was given a tough time of things up against Jordan Ayew on the Palace right, with Micky van de Ven covering for him on more than one occasion.
Thankfully, it did not matter too much as Palace lacked a cutting edge in the final third when they got into dangerous areas.
Unlike Udogie, and indeed Emerson, Davies does not provide a great deal in the attacking third. The 30-year-old can help build attacks from the back, but rarely does he find himself in a goalscoring position.
Indeed, Emerson has been involved in 0.46 goals per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season, as per FBref, compared to zero for fellow full-back Davies. The experienced defender has not so much as found the target from a shot this season.
Perhaps more tellingly, though, is that Davies averages just 17 touches in the final third per 90 minutes, whereas Emerson – a right-back by trade – averages almost double that at 34.5 [FBref].
As highlighted by Tottenham’s second goal against Palace – a Son Heung-min tap-in – Emerson was waiting right on the edge of the opposition penalty box for the pull-back from Brennan Johnson.
While he did not play a direct part in the goal itself, his presence as one of seven Tottenham players within 25 yards of the Palace goal is clearly part of Postecoglou’s gameplan.
Emerson also did a good job defensively – the bread and butter for any full-back – with his three clearances bettered only by centre-backs Van de Ven and Cristian Romero (both four), despite playing just half the match [WhoScored].
It may well be that Udogie is back available for the London derby showdown with Chelsea coming up, but if not then Emerson showed against Palace that he should be next in line to the throne.
In other Tottenham news, former Spurs scout Bryan King gave one player a 5/10 rating for his performance against Palace.