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Tottenham left-back Danny Rose was handed just his sixth Premier League start of the season on Wednesday night against Southampton, and his first in almost two months, as he continues to battle with Ben Davies for a starting berth on the left side of defence. However, against a poor Saints side, he failed to really stand out and stake a claim for the Welshman’s place despite helping his teammates to a 3-1 win.

Former Swansea man Davies has been Mauricio Pochettino’s go-to guy for the position over the England international this season, including the hotly-contested north London derby, thanks to his consistency coupled with Rose’s fitness struggles.

A midweek game against a Saints side with no manager on the touchline looked to be a kind affair for Rose to ease his way back into his groove ahead of a busy fixture list, but he ultimately failed to show that he can be trusted to hold his own against tougher opposition.

The 28-year-old lined up alongside Kieran Tripper, Juan Foyth and Toby Alderweireld at the back in what was a settled back four, meaning he had few excuses for not performing anywhere near his best.

He has since come out and said that playing at Wembley is ‘just not nice’ (as reported by the Mirror), although the rest of his teammates seem to be performing there just fine.

Rose was uncharacteristically ineffective against the relegation-threatened Saints, and whilst his stats aren’t a complete trainwreck, you would expect better from a player of his pedigree. He committed two fouls, was caught out in possession on one occasion and had three unsuccessful touches against arguably one of the worst sides in the Premier League at the moment.

The former Leeds man also failed to make an impact at the other end of the pitch, as he didn’t record a single cross for his teammates waiting for a delivery into the box. His lack of gametime may also have resulted in him being a little bit rusty, as he also failed to make a single interception.

Pochettino has a lot of work on his hands to try and rejuvenate a player who used to be one of the league’s best in his position, and he will need to do so quickly in order to take the weight off of Davies in a very busy festive period.

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