Tottenham youngster Ashley Phillips needs to be integrated into first team amid lengthy injury to Cristian Romero
Ashley Phillips should be handed his first Tottenham Hotspur appearance by Ange Postecoglou amid an ongoing centre-back crisis at the club.
In addition to Micky van de Ven’s long-term absence, Cristian Romero has been ruled out for “four to five weeks” after being substituted at half-time against Everton on 23 December, as per Daily Mail.
The Argentine was a huge miss against Brighton & Hove Albion on Thursday, having boasted a top 96 per cent ranking of his positional peers in England’s top flight this season for the number of tackles he has won per 90 minutes (1.69) before his injury, as per FBref.
And the last time Postecoglou’s favourite centre-back partnership was unavailable for selection, Eric Dier was utilised in a 2-1 loss to Wolves before Emerson Royal replaced the Englishman for the next two fixtures against Aston Villa and Manchester City.
The Spurs manager once again chose the Ben Davies and Royal duo against Brighton, a plan that fell flat on its face. Not being a natural centre-back by trade, the Brazilian was lost in defence against Danny Welbeck, Joao Pedro and Evan Ferguson.
The 24-year-old proved to be the worst-performing defender for Spurs, as per FotMob, as they shipped four goals in a 4-2 loss. Despite the 93 per cent pass completion you would expect from a full-back, his defensive display was far from ideal.
Royal was just 33 per cent of his tackles, and lost 100 per cent of his aerial battles, while also being dribbled past twice. It is abundantly clear that a full-back was deployed at centre-back.
In contrast, Davies has had time to adapt to the role and slotted in perfectly as he has done in van de Ven’s absence. The Welshman doubled his partner’s tackle success with 67 per cent won, also winning 100 per cent of his combined nine ground and aerial duels.
Phillips’ appearance on the bench is made all the more infuriating by Royal’s statistics against Brighton. The 18-year-old, who’s yet to be seen playing a first-team match, should be given a shot in the team by the manager, but it remains to be seen as to whether that will happen.
Postecoglou has been slowly transitioning the centre-half into the senior squad while he continues his development with the club’s Under 21 side. The Englishman has completed two sets of 90 minutes in the Premier League 2 as well as making the bench for the senior team on five occasions, most recently in that win over Everton before Christmas.
If not for his recent ankle injury, Phillips may have already been handed his first start since moving to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in August from Blackburn Rovers.
The defender made five starts for the Rovers during the 2022/23 campaign, maintaining a 75 per cent tackle completion, while making seven blocks and five interceptions. [FBref]
He also has plenty of experience at Under 19-level with England, captaining his side to three draws in the EURO U19 Championship Qualifiers, and keeping two clean sheets on the international stage.
There is no doubt that Phillips is a talented defender. But his only senior experience comes from a single season for Blackburn at Championship level, which may leave him struggling in the deep end in his first start for Spurs.
With Davies there to guide him through it, though, Phillips could be the perfect solution to Postecoglou’s defensive problems and transition the player to senior football in the process.
In other Tottenham news, one pundit believes a “fantastic” player at the club “deserves a lot better.”