Tottenham will be missing a number of players against Southampton, however one impressed more than most in December’s 4:1 win at St Mary’s.
Tottenham’s Danny Rose celebrates scoring their first goal with Harry Kane
Much of the talk this week has been about the absence of Tottenham Hotspur talisman Harry Kane, with the striker turning his ankle against Millwall and set to miss Sunday’s game with Southampton, and between four and six weeks on top of that.
In fact, Tottenham have a number of injury problems to contend with according to Maurico Pochettino’s press conference, with Victor Wanyama and Kyle Walker in a race to be fit for the game.
However, one player who will definitely be joining his England teammate Kane on the sidelines is Danny Rose, and how Tottenham will wish they had him to call on against the Saints.
The left back was in superb form for Spurs in the dominant 4-1 reverse fixture in December, putting in one of what has been a picture-book full of pin-up performances this season, full of attacking threat and defensive steel.
Nowhere was this more evident than in the manner he set up Dele Alli’s second against Southampton at St Mary’s, charging up the pitch late on and then slipping a cute reverse ball for the 20-year-old to make it 4-1.
Ben Davies will come in once again for Rose, coming up against Euro 2016 winner Cedric Soares and a player in the form of his life in Nathan Redmond, freshly called up to the England squad.
It will certainly be a big ask for the Welshman. But Davies himself is arguably in the best form of his Spurs career, having featured in 10 consecutive games for Mauricio Pochettino’s side – nine of them starts.
The 23-year-old has grown in confidence during that spell, netting his first ever Tottenham goal in the process, and has shown off an ability to push forward not unlike his rival for the fullback slot, safe in the knowledge that the back three have him covered. And having signed a new contract in recent weeks, Davies will know this is another big opportunity to demonstrate his quality filling in.
Tottenham’s Ben Davies in action
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