Tottenham set for another full-back switch?

Tottenham are due for some uncertainty in the left-back position as Ben Davies thrives in Danny Rose’s absence.

Since Rose limped off the pitch in Tottenham’s 0-0 draw against Sunderland last January, the natural assumption was that he would automatically return to the squad after his recovery.

This was, after all, right after a first half of the season that firmly established Rose as perhaps the best left-back in England. Despite not playing a single minute past January, Rose would go on to earn a place in the PFA Team of the Year come the end of the season.

Some particularly embarrassing moments for Davies in February — particularly a 2-0 loss to Liverpool in which Sadio Mané ran rampant over the Welshman — only reinforced this assumption. Rose was the once and future king of Tottenham’s left-back position.

Davies leveled out past February however, and slowly began to adapt himself to the wing-back role Pochettino needed in his re-worked 3-4-2-1 tactics. He lacked Rose’s flair, but it was harder and harder to consider him wholly inferior to the England international.

There was a time not too long ago where Mauricio Pochettino appeared ready to use the pair in a true rotational system. Oftentimes this rotation was dictated by the needs of Tottenham on the day.

If the opposition fielded a particularly tricky winger, Davies’ superior defensive skills much better suited Spurs’ needs. Alternately, if Spurs’ opponents played especially narrow or were weak on the flanks, Rose’s buccaneering spirit in attack was much preferred.

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Over time, Rose’s game became more rounded, and his value in attack often overrode any other need Spurs might have in a match. Davies was forced to the bench, confined to the occasional cup matches right up until Rose’s January injury.

Now it seems as if Davies, too, is finding ways to mature his overall game and, crucially, become a much bigger threat in the opposition’s half.

Davies scored his first ever goal for Tottenham on the final day of last season, and followed that up with another in this term’s 2-0 opening day win at Newcastle. Then, on Saturday against Everton, he played his best game yet in Tottenham colors.

With Everton content to leave their flanks wide open, Davies absolutely thrived. He frequently connected with Christian Eriksen’s long diagonal passes from midfield and burst into space, often mimicking Rose by cutting into the box and threatening Jordan Pickford’s goal.

Indeed, it was off a deflected shot from Davies that Eriksen scored Tottenham’s second goal just before half-time. Then, immediately after the interval, it was a deep cross from Davies that found Harry Kane to finish off the game completely.

Those two moments were merely the highlights of a thoroughly competent 90 minutes from Davies on both sides of the ball. This performance should perhaps be the first that sparks genuine fear in Rose for his future in the side.

Rose is due back from injury by the end of this month and will naturally feature in Pochettino’s plans going forward. Considering Davies’ fine play of late — and the turmoil Rose caused with his comments late in the transfer window — there is little reason for Pochettino to change things dramatically however.

Expect Davies to continue on as Spurs’ first choice left-back, at least for the near future. Rose absolutely retains plenty of value, but he is going to have to fight much more to reclaim his position than anyone ever thought he would.