Tottenham star could miss Stoke clash due to injury
Tottenham could be without Danny Rose at Stoke City
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino may be forced to play a heavily rotated side this weekend at Stoke. Star left back Danny Rose is the latest Spur to suffer a knock that could force him to miss his club’s next Premier League match.
Per the Telegraph, Rose felt a pull in his hamstring in the second half of England’s 1-0 win over Slovakia. Spurs fans won’t be remotely surprised that Rose elected to play through the injury. In particular, he would have felt pressure to stay on the pitch given the fact that Manchester United left back Luke Shaw had already returned to England leaving him no backup on the bench.
Rose’s continued involvement in the match proved crucial for England boss Sam Allardyce. The mercurial left back was instrumental in setting up Adam Lallana’s 95th-minute game winning goal.
That fact won’t be any comfort to Pochettino though. Spurs head into a tricky fixture at Stoke short-handed already. The Argentine boss has already decided to rest Erik Lamela coming off international duty. Fortunately, new arrival Moussa Sissoko should be able to start in the attacking winger’s place.
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Truth be told, Tottenham aren’t short of cover at left back either. Without Rose in the lineup, Pochettino will turn to Ben Davies. The former Swansea star is fresh off a solid international performance of his own for Wales.
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His inclusion in the squad could actually be a blessing in disguise for Spurs. They’re likely to enjoy great spells of possession against the Potters, and Davies skill on the ball could be a boost to what’s been a struggling Tottenham attack.
The downside to playing Davies is that he does make the club significantly more vulnerable to the counter-attack than Rose. He lacks the Englishman’s electric pace and competitive drive. Davies’ game is much more cerebral in comparison.
Tottenham need to come away from Stoke with all three points, but Pochettino is going to need his bench to come up big to do so. The club will wait on pins and needles regarding Danny Rose’s availability all the way up to kickoff.