One of Antonio Conte's undroppables could well face a fight to force his way back into the Tottenham XI after his recent absence from the side. Having seen Son Heung-min drop down to the bench in the past two games with Richarlison coming into the first team, Ivan Perisic has also had to bide his time on the substitutes' bench in the 2-0 wins over West Ham and Chelsea.
Down to one left wing-back at the club following the news that Ryan Sessegnon would face a period on the sidelines after sustaining another hamstring injury, it appeared that Perisic would get little rest with the fixtures coming thick and fast at a key time in the calendar. Looking nailed on to start against West Ham last Sunday, the Croat was named on the bench as Ben Davies moved forward from his centre-back berth to play as a wing-back.
Taking his opportunity with both hands as he teed up Emerson Royal for the opener, the Welshman's performance led to him keeping his place at wing-back for Sunday's game against Chelsea, which in fact was his 300th appearance for the club since his move from Swansea City in 2014. The long-serving player once again thrived in the advanced role and always looked to attack when given the opportunity by supporting the frontline and making some really good runs forward.
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The end product may have been missing as he wasn't accurate with his three crosses but Davies stood out in the victory with his smart movement and the fact that he was always an option for Harry Kane and Co when pushing on. One thing that he has displayed it that he is willing to sling a cross into the box, whereas Emerson on the opposite flank is rather hesitant in the final third and often looks to play it safe rather than take a chance.
As ever, he more than contributed defensively and linked up well with Clement Lenglet to ensure that nothing really troubled Tottenham down their left flank. Winning both his tackles, he made five clearances, four headed clearances, two interceptions, two recoveries and came out on top in eight of his 12 duels.
Davies has demonstrated in the past two games that he can be an alternative to Perisic and he may well get the nod in the position once again when Tottenham take on Wolves in the Premier League next Saturday. First up is a trip to Sheffield United, though, a game in which Perisic is likely to come back into the side to get some minutes into his legs after only getting 12 in the last two league fixtures.
The Croat has more than contributed with assists this campaign after registering nine in his 32 appearances in all competitions, with the vast majority of those coming from set-pieces rather than open play. His performances at times have let Tottenham fans wanting so much more in an attacking sense as he displayed during his time at Inter Milan, Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg that he can have a big impact in the final third.
The assists have been there for the player throughout his first year at Tottenham but it does come as a surprise that he has yet to open his Tottenham account going on the amount of goals he regularly plundered for his previous clubs. Netting 55 in his 254 Inter Milan games, the 34-year-old scored ten in 2021/22 and he hit eight two seasons before during his year with Bayern Munich.
The goals will come for him at Tottenham but until that happens then his performances may continue to be questioned by some if he struggles to contribute in open play. Perisic doesn't have it all his own way when it comes to the left wing-back position as things stand following Davies' positive showings in the past two games.
While the Croatian ace looks on course to start at Sheffield United, Conte and Cristian Stellini's choice at left wing-back next Saturday at Wolves could be a rather telling one.
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