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5 players Tottenham must upgrade to compete in the Champions League

By Rucker Haringey

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 17: Toby Alderweireld of Tottenham Hotspur reacts after defeat in the UEFA Europa League round of 16, second leg match between Tottenham Hotspur and Borussia Dortmund at White Hart Lane on March 17, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 17: Toby Alderweireld of Tottenham Hotspur reacts after defeat in the UEFA Europa League round of 16, second leg match between Tottenham Hotspur and Borussia Dortmund at White Hart Lane on March 17, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images) /
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(L-R) Ben Davies of Tottenham Hotspur FC, Toby Alderweireld of Tottenham Hotspur FC, Erik Durm of Borussia Dortmund during the UEFA Europa League round of 16 match between Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham Hotspur on March 10, 2016 at the Signal Iduna Park stadium in Dortmund, Germany.(Photo by VI Images via Getty Images)
(L-R) Ben Davies of Tottenham Hotspur FC, Toby Alderweireld of Tottenham Hotspur FC, Erik Durm of Borussia Dortmund during the UEFA Europa League round of 16 match between Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham Hotspur on March 10, 2016 at the Signal Iduna Park stadium in Dortmund, Germany.(Photo by VI Images via Getty Images) /

5. Ben Davies

For the record, this assertion has nothing to do with Davies’ injury in the second leg against Dortmund. It has everything to do with the fact that the Welsh left-back struggles greatly against world-class athleticism. Champions League teams tend to have quite a bit of that sort of pace.

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Davies has a role under Pochettino, but it’s becoming increasingly obvious that he’s only suited to be deployed against weaker competition. In matches where Spurs can dominate possession, he can be a really useful player with his ability to whip excellent crosses into the box.

It’s the matches against upper-echelon teams where he really struggles to hold up in terms of his defensive responsibilities. He was badly exposed by attackers Marco Reus and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the Europa League. These are just the sort of attackers that Tottenham is going to come up against frequently in Champions League competition.

Ben Davies doesn’t need to be sold, but he needs to understand that his role moving forward is going to be limited. He’ll be a useful squad player who gets some playing time against weak competition, but his days playing in Tottenham’s biggest matches should be over. I wouldn’t even be surprised to see a third left-back added by Pochettino this summer.

Next: 4. Ryan Mason

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