Davies derby disaster; Can Tottenham afford such weaknesses in top-four push?

Tottenham Hotspur hosted Arsenal at White Hart Lane last weekend with more than just bragging rights online, although Spurs ended the night on the losing side, proving a massive dampener to their season and leaving their top-four hopes in serious jeopardy. While The Lilywhites bemoan the NLD loss, there is ample to learn from the game to ensure that the club does not drop any more points in the final run of the season, and one of those revolves around Ben Davies.

Spurs left-back Ben Davies played against Gunners starboy Bukayo Saka, and he was taken for a run from down the flank, struggling to contain Saka’s dribbling and movements. The Welshman wouldn’t be playing this game if it weren’t for Destiny Udogie’s season-ending injury, with the Italian international establishing himself as the uncontested first-choice left-back before the unfortunate injury that sidelined him for the rest of the season. 

“Not Good Enough” – O’Hara calls for Ben Davies’ axe after NLD performance

The former Arsenal academy graduate Jamie O’Hara, who later played for Spurs, had a critical assessment of the 31-year-old veteran, who has played 330 games for Tottenham, following his performance in the North London Derby at the weekend. He was of the opinion that Tottenham needed to get rid of the Welshman following how he gave Saka the space to operate and dictate the play on the right.

Jamie O’Hara, speaking to TalkSPORT following the Lilywhites defeat against Mikel Arteta’s men, said:

“We go 2-0 down; Ben Davies shouldn’t be playing left-back but has to play left-back; he’s not good enough. We need to get rid.”

“Show Saka on his right; show him away from the goal. You let him come in and just put one in the bottom corner. You know what he’s going to do. You know he’s going to do that.”

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While Jamie criticizes Ben Davies, there have been reports that he is set to be sidelined for the rest of the season owing to a muscle injury that he suffered dealing with Saka on Sunday. 

For Tottenham, they need to ensure that they take Aston Villa deep for a traditional top-four finish.