Mauricio Pochettino played the Tottenham left-back higher up the pitch in the 1-1 draw with Real Madrid.
Danny Rose made his first Tottenham Hotspur appearance in eight months last night as a late substitute in the 1-1 draw at Champions League holders Real Madrid.
Mauricio Pochettino used the England international, voted into the PFA Team of the Season at left-back in each of the last two years, in an unfamiliar central midfield role.
Mousa Dembele, Victor Wanyama and Dele Alli were all missing to restrict Pochettino’s options in this area.
But the Spurs manager could have reshuffled his pack to have Rose, Eric Dier and emergency wing-back Jan Vertonghen restored to their natural positions upon Rose’s introduction.
Pochettino may not have wanted to unsettle his defence, but there could be merit to using Rose in midfield more regularly.
The one thing missing from Tottenham’s midfield is pace, which Rose has in abundance.
Ben Davies has proved to be an extremely able deputy throughout Rose’s long absence, and the two will probably now be rotated to manage Tottenham’s congested fixture list.
On the occasions that Davies starts, using Rose as an impact substitute further up the pitch, when the game is stretched, would give Spurs a speedy weapon that they don’t currently have.
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