Ben Davies, best of the Tottenham bunch on underwhelming afternoon

Ben Davies, in an altogether underwhelming display by the collective, was the pick of the bunch, putting in another solid, workmanlike performance to claim man of the match honours.  

Candidates for the individual accolade were few and far between, with only Davies and Harry Kane in the running. Kane scored Tottenham’s only goal, which should come as no surprise to anyone.

Kane, apart from a rudimentary headed finish, wasn’t at his unmatchable best, spurning a few chances that would have handed Spurs the win. Though nobody in the right mind can fault Kane for missing the injury time opportunity. It only goes to show that Kane, contrary to prior belief, is actually human.

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At least Davies, whose performance was solid if not spectacular, showed up for the match. It looked like the rest of the starting contingent were cloned, with the robotic, listless versions suiting up for Southampton, leaving their accomplished, human counterparts in Barcelona lapping up some more sun.

It’s the only way to explain the pervading lack of spirit. Had everyone played like Davies, Spurs, with Liverpool’s loss to Swansea, would be back in the top four.

The Welshman delivered three key passes to go along with a pair of tackles and four clearances; he made 47 passes and crossed the ball 12 times for well-rounded afternoon.

https://twitter.com/SpursOfficial/status/955381369894514688

Perpetually committed and consistent, Davies rarely lets his manager down. Davies, other than Son Heung-Min, is the most underrated player on the squad. His offensive production continually improves, and so too does the accuracy of his crosses from the byline.

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Always playing the simple ball, Davies doesn’t often cough up possession. Admittedly, this particular Spurs’ outing provided for some pretty slim pickings, but that doesn’t make Davies any less worthy of the distinction.

Hopefully the authentic version of our team ditches their imposter clone counterparts and return from Barcelona to join Davies and Kane with enough time to prepare for Manchester United.