Ben Davies has told UEFA.com that Tottenham Hotspur could have beaten Vitesse Arnhem on another night, but lost the Europa Conference League tie after a poor 10-minute period.
Maximilian Wittek stunned Spurs and sent the GelreDome crowd wild with a brilliant volley past Pierluigi Gollini in the 78th-minute. Connecting with Eli Dasa from the edge of the area to finally capitalise on the dominance Thomas Letsch’s side enjoyed.
Nuno Espirito Santo fielded an entirely different line-up to the side that beat Newcastle last weekend, and Tottenham were often second-best with their second team against Vitesse. But did show improvements after the break, and could have scored in the 47th-minute.
Davies rues Tottenham’s wasted opportunities to punish Vitesse Arnhem, noting the Dutch side’s high backline created openings to exploit. However, a ten-minute period in which FC Hollywood at the Rhine took control ultimately proved costly for the north Londoners.
“It was a pretty even game,” Davies said. “There weren’t a lot of chances for both sides for the majority of it. There was a period of about 10-minutes when we lost quite a lot of second balls in the middle [of the pitch] and they were putting the pressure on.
“Vitesse played really well. They were technically good, organized, and they made it very difficult for us. They pressed us high and also left space behind them. On another day we could have punished them, but credit to them where it’s due.”
Should Davies’ reasoning for Tottenham defeat at Vitesse concern Nuno?
Nuno’s gamble to field an entirely different Tottenham side ultimately backfired at Vitesse and the Dutch outfit found ways to take control of proceedings, as Davies notes. They often created the better chances, with Spurs struggling to establish themselves offensively.
Giovani Lo Celso helped to an improved start to the second-half and found Bryan Gil, who only rattled the crossbar. But Spurs failed to maintain that early pressure. Allowing Vitesse to find their foothold again and enjoy the commanding aura Davies blames for defeat.
Tottenham now sit third in Group G, with Davies and his teammates trailing Rennes by three-points and Vitesse by two. The £60k-a-week full-back will also see the GelreDome result as a missed chance personally. He has only played 30 top-flight minutes this season.
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