Tottenham Hotspur defender Ben Davies opens up on new role and its benefits under Antonio Conte
Ben Davies has taken well to the new role handed to him by Antonio Conte, and the Tottenham Hotspur star has chipped in with his thoughts while stating the benefits associated with it. He has enjoyed a great time since the manager joined the club and will hope to continue that moving forward.
The Welshman usually plays as a fullback or wingback, but Conte has shifted him to the left side of a back three system. At the same time, he has the license to roam forward and provide numerical superiority in phases where the game asks for it. However, he already has experience playing in that role for the Wales national team, where he did a solid job.
Speaking in the clubs’ matchday programme (h/t Tottenham Hotspur official website), Davies believes the left-sided centre-back role gets the best out of him as it suits his strengths while masking his weaknesses. He added how he enjoys playing in that position and feels comfortable doing so.
“It’s somewhere I really enjoy playing. I think that position probably gets the best out of me with my best attributes. In that position, I feel like I can defend pretty well, be solid and read the game well. And I’m not necessarily expected to go and beat people one-v-one, which is probably not the strongest part of my game. I prefer to be able to see the game, pass the ball and make better runs, and so I think it suits me well.”
A resurgence on the cards?
Davies’s spot at Tottenham was far from guaranteed when Conte arrived at the Lane. He had not played much football of late and was on the fringes under Nuno Espirito Santo. Even when he got opportunities, the displays left much to be desired.
The Wales international has since proved his worth and has rightfully earned himself a spot in the first XI. We hope that he continues this moving forward, and he has shown no signs of that being otherwise.
We had defensive issues that needed to be solved when the 52-year-old boss took over the managerial job. While he has not fully eradicated it, the problems are close to being non-existent, and the Wales star has helped in doing so with his contributions.
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Our season was looking bleak in the last days of Santo at N17, but we are in a much better state and could even compete for titles. There has been an uptick in the mindset of the squad, which is evident from the performances they put on the pitch.
Davies has done the same and looks like a completely different player. Should he sustain that throughout the rest of the campaign, we would have a great chance of challenging for silverware.
