TOUGH WITH THE SMOOTH
While Alli and Kane get all the plaudits, Davies and his pals in the Spurs defence are the unflinching force in the title race
THEY are the unsung heroes as midfielders and strikers dominate the Player of the Year nominations.
of sending a message out then great.” he said.
“I was brought up to accept anybody and anything.”
But Davies has been unable to accept the stick that his Wales team-mate Neil Taylor (left) has had for his tackle on Republic of Ireland defender Seamus Coleman last month.
The Everton right-back is out for up to a year after suffering a double leg break. While he has sympathy for Coleman, Davies revealed the incident has had a big impact on Taylor.
“When we all walked into the dressing room afterwards he was completely devastated.” he said. “Neil’s not a nasty player.
“He hasn’t gone out to hurt Seamus. He’s a top professional. He was distraught.
“I’ve seen him called all sorts and it’s a bit harsh, especially from people who have played the game.
“It’s easy to slow down a tackle and judge it on the results that it brings.
“But if you speak to Coleman I wouldn’t like to think he believes Taylor has gone out to break his leg.
“It’s up to him to be as strong as he can but all the boys will be there to try and support him.” take him from Swansea three years ago looks a terrific bit of business, particularly in Rose’s absence.
“I’ve always believed that if I was to get a run of games I could show people what I could do,” he said. “I still feel I can improve.” Davies spoke after meeting kids this week as one of Kick It Out’s ‘Next 20’ Ambassadors. The programme sees players from the Premier League, Football League and the Women’s Super League, spreading the organisation’s messages of equality and inclusion.
Davies, studying economics away from the game, jumped at the chance to help out. “If I can be part the opportunities to work their magic. They are not focused on having to sprint back 60 yards and are not tired every time they get the ball. When the team wins games it is all worth it.”
Spurs have an exciting climax to the season ahead, having responded to their Europa League exit by winning six on the bounce and reaching an FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea.
The Blues remain favourites for the league with their seven-point cushion and Davies said: “You have to respect what they are doing.”
But Davies maintains his side are ready to pounce if they lose their way.
That £10million spent to
The Tottenham defence, however, is still the toughest in the Premier League, the bedrock for the club’s second title challenge in successive seasons.
Injuries have not wearied them. If anything they have proven the club’s strength in depth. Ben Davies – seizing his chance superbly while Danny Rose is injured – is an excellent case in point.
“As a defence we are proud of the record we’ve got,” said the 23-year-old left-back whose side host Bournemouth today.
“We do a lot of work on being in the right positions. It’s not about defending the last-ditch tackle. It’s about stopping things at source.
“Our back four this year has been chopped and changed. But whoever has come in has had to put in a good performance.
“It’s not just the back four. We tend to play with two screening midfielders who do an unbelievable job.
“You can then free up the talents of Christian Eriksen, Harry Kane, Son HeungMin and Dele Alli. They get