Tottenham Hotspur have the usual headline makers but the centre-back has not just been keeping the ball out at one end.
Tottenham Hotspur score a lot of goals and they almost invariably come from the foot of Harry Kane, but while the likes of Dele Alli, Heung-min Son and Christian Eriksen get their fair share – and defender Ben Davies is a surprise addition to that list – there is another Spurs player who is a somewhat unsung attacking hero…at least when it comes to setting things in motion.
Toby Alderweireld may first and foremost be a defender, but this season he has been allowed more time and space to burst forward, knowing he has additional support in the form of Davinson Sanchez.
The summer signing has been superb since he arrived in North London from Ajax for a club-record fee of £42million (the Guardian), slotting seamlessly into a back-three and allowing both Alderweireld and, to a lesser extent, Jan Vertonghen, the option to move further forward and set up attacks.
The younger of the two Belgian’s has done that with aplomb in the current campaign, setting things in motion to allow the more attack-minded players in front of him the opportunities to impress.
When Sanchez first arrived at Tottenham, few expected him to be quite so important so soon, but he has not only added more steel to an already impressive defence.
His arrival means Alderweireld can show his passing range and his creative side, and Tottenham are benefiting as a result.
The longer Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino keeps these three together, the better, at both ends of the field.
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