Why We Should See More of Joe Rodon at Tottenham Hotspur

Signing at the end of a long, strange but productive summer transfer window in October, Joe Rodon was always going to take some time to adapt at Tottenham Hotspur. After a few months working his way into the team, it appears Joe Rodon is ready for more minutes in the Tottenham Hotspur defense. José Mourinho is a fan of big, strong defensive players; which are just two of the reasons Spurs fans should expect to see more Joe Rodon moving forward.

Rodon Tottenham Back for Future and Present

Joe Rodon is a big man. At 1.93 meters – which is over six-foot-three – Joe Rodon is a big man and by far the biggest of Tottenham’s defenders. As he has demonstrated, however, Rodon is not a lumbering big man, but rather an agile defender who knows how to use his long legs and big stride to make up ground in a hurry.

While the competition was a few notches below the Premier League, when Rodon went from one side of the pitch all the way to the other to block a shot on Marine and help preserve the shutout, it showed a lot. First, it showed the incredible ability to make up ground as he seemingly outpaced the ball across the pitch. Second, it showed a real desire that is not seen enough from the Tottenham defense.

Joe Rodon Young and Hungry

Unlike the rest of the regular defensive rotation, Joe Rodon is the one defender on Tottenham that needs to prove himself. Sure Sergio Reguilón has not played a ton at the highest level, but he was named the best left back in La Liga last season while on loan away from Real Madrid. Whereas Joe Rodon was making only his second start ever in the top flight against Sheffield this past Sunday.

Eric Dier, Toby Alderweireld, and Davinson Sanchez are all seasoned professionals who have played at the highest level for Tottenham and their respective countries. By comparison Rodon is young and hungry. Like Japhet Tanganga, Joe Rodon wants to prove he belongs in this squad.

Joe Rodon is getting there with Wales, but he has yet to prove himself against top flight competition week in and week out. This need to prove he belongs likely helps to drive that desire to make that block or win that header. The good news for Tottenham is, it would seem he may be about to get that chance.

Joe Rodon Has Positional Flexibility

Over the course of his brief Tottenham Hotspur career Rodon has demonstrated the kind of positional flexibility coach José Mourinho loves. In his first Premier League start against Chelsea, Rodon played next to Eric Dier as the right sided center half and acquitted himself well. Then against Marine he played as the left-sided center half next to Toby Alderweireld.

This past weekend against Sheffield United, Rodon played as the right back in a back three, demonstrating a real ability to defend in space. That is three different positions in his three starts and he did equally well in all three outings. This ability to play across the backline, particularly on the left, will lead to more and more opportunities to play. Whether that includes Europa League may depend on how things go for Rodon and Tottenham in the next month.

Rodon Brings Things Others Do Not

While the ability to play across the backline, to be young, and to be motivated are all positives; it is how Rodon incorporates all of that into his game that drives his need to play. Joe Rodon leverages his size and attacks the ball on both ends of the pitch. He is not going to be Kane around goal, but he gives defenses something to worry about. More importantly, he wins a lot of balls in the box defensively and in the middle of the park.

Davinson Sanchez has improved this season and while he is winning his fair share of headers, he has been struggling to make them effective. Eric Dier has not been winning enough headers either,  while Toby Alderweireld is known for other things, making the need to have someone strong in the air important for Tottenham. Rodon would seem to be that man.

Beyond being strong in the air, Rodon is likely the fastest of the Tottenham defenders. While not likely to beat prime Kyle Walker, Rodon is fast and it shows. Add in his size to go with that speed and suddenly there is less space for attackers and more ability to recover with the defense. We certainly hope that this all equates to more Joe Rodon moving forward. With the need to remove someone from the Europa League squad to make room for Rodon, it would be nice to seem him get his chances and take them.