Ben Davies was “superb” for Tottenham v Manchester City [Credit: Imago]
Ben Davies responded perfectly to his Tottenham critics with his performance in the 4-0 win against Manchester City, which Ally McCoist rightly labelled “superb”.
The 31-year-old operated as a makeshift centre-back at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday [23 November] and helped Spurs keep the prolific Erling Haaland quiet on the day, leading to a remarkable result for Ange Postecoglou.
After a statement performance in Manchester, McCoist singled out the Welsh international when discussing the result live on talkSPORT [25 November, 6:10am].
He said: “Ben Davies was superb, by the way.”
Cristian Romero will be sweating on his place at Tottenham
Davies has found himself on the fringes in North London when the side is fully fit, as the expectation remains that the Welsh full-back is set for a Tottenham exit at the end of the season.
However, Postecoglou may need to reconsider his transfer plans. Davies not only kept a clean sheet at the Etihad but performed to a level any Premier League defender would have dreamed against the reigning English champions.
His composure on the ball in a weakened Spurs backline was remarkable, completing 83 per cent of his passes as a crucial part of the build-up play [Fotmob].
While he could only find teammates 38 per cent of the time with his long ball attempts, Davies understood the assignment in Manchester, playing four passes into the final third as Pep Guardiola couldn’t react to Spurs’ counterattacks.
Furthermore, his defensive contributions were top-class; Davies made six clearances, blocked one shot, recovered the ball once and won 50 per cent of his aerial duels.
Tottenham supporters were understandably anxious heading into the clash after Postecoglou confirmed Cristian Romero would join Micky van de Ven on the sidelines in North London.
Now, the Argentine may not be allowed to walk straight back into the first team when he is fit – it would be a disservice to Davies, and his efforts to cast the Welshman aside after making the four-in-a-row Premier League winners look like a lower division side.
Therefore, any critic who suggested Davies should lose his place at Tottenham owes him an apology – whether it be centre-back or full-back, he is a vital member of his side.
In other Tottenham news, Radu Dragusin wowed a MOTD pundit after ‘excellent’ footage emerged in Spurs’ win v Manchester City.
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