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Technical Area – The Rise of Ben Davies

It’s been quite a start to the season for Ben Davies. Currently leading all defenders in terms of points with 49 – a number which trails only Sergio Aguero and Romelu Lukaku at any position – the Welshman’s form is inarguable.

In the six matches in which he has featured (Davies was rested for Spurs’ home encounter with Swansea in Gameweek 5), he has returned an average of 8.2 points per match (ppm) – more than a point clear of his closest rival (Antonio Valencia’s 6.7).

Last season, Davies performed admirably while deputising for the injured Danny Rose – racking up a goal and three assists, in addition to his share of Spurs’ league-leading clean sheet total. However, his attacking returns this campaign (two goals, three assists) have already exceeded last season’s totals in just 30% of the minutes.

In order to better interpret this attacking leap, we’ll be breaking down Davies’ early-season heroics, and looking for players who might serve as good benchmarks for projecting the Welshman’s performance over the remainder of the campaign.

2,814 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Fantasy Gold
    • 10 Years
    6 years, 8 months ago

    Watching England is like pulling teeth.

    So painful to watch.

  2. Sánchez
    • 11 Years
    6 years, 8 months ago

    People complaining about the Ox playing for England.

    We'll swap you for Barry Bannan.

    1. Red Dagger ✪
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      He hasn't touched a ball since leaving Arsenal.

      1. Sánchez
        • 11 Years
        6 years, 8 months ago

        Is that a terminator Trotsky?

    2. Fantasy Gold
      • 10 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      I'd take Bannan over the show pony.

      Deal

      1. DeathoftheParty
        • 7 Years
        6 years, 8 months ago

        Ox>Bannan

        1FT

  3. Rainer
    • 7 Years
    6 years, 8 months ago

    Ingerland really struggling w/o Livermore

  4. Jafooli
    • 12 Years
    6 years, 8 months ago

    Solid half from Scotland, saving the goals for second half is a clever tactic.

  5. F4L
    • 9 Years
    6 years, 8 months ago

    WC qualification needs to be scrapped

    1. Sánchez
      • 11 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      I would love a big 128 team knockout cup, no seedings, just straight open cup draw

      Round 1:

      Brazil v Spain
      San Marino v Fiji

      1. justmatt
        • 8 Years
        6 years, 8 months ago

        Would love this, seems way more exciting.

    2. Fred54
      • 9 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      Chelsea would still end up home to Burkina Faso. Always getting an easy draw. Somehow even this International tourney.

  6. RAFA THE GAFFA
    • 8 Years
    6 years, 8 months ago

    Regretting dropping Eriksen on my WC already 😆 Sold for 9.6. So I just bite the bullet and get him back in at 9.7 🙂

    1. RAFA THE GAFFA
      • 8 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      Do I*

    2. Mooster©️
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      Lol, my condolences. I would just do it.

    3. kysersosa
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      who'd you drop him for?

      1. RAFA THE GAFFA
        • 8 Years
        6 years, 8 months ago

        Coutinho and D.Silva. Wanted to catch their price rises! And it was to fund Jesus too! Still got Kane and Davies though

        1. kysersosa
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 9 Years
          6 years, 8 months ago

          Not a terrible decision and I did query doing it myself.

    4. I Member
      • 8 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      1. Why did you drop him?
      2. Why do you want him back?

      1. RAFA THE GAFFA
        • 8 Years
        6 years, 8 months ago

        1. To get Silva, Coutinho, Jesus. And have Kane & Davies so felt enough spurs for their tougher fixtures and poor Wembley form.

        2. He’s a class act (but guess you can’t have them all)

  7. Plagued by indecision
    • 13 Years
    6 years, 8 months ago

    OK how about now? RMWCT

    Elliot / Woodman
    Azpilicueta / Monreal / Mee / Lowe / Mariappa
    Chuopo-Moting / Groß / Richarlison / De Bruyne / Carroll
    Jesus / Lukaku / Kane

    1. korbendallas82
      • 10 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      I would go for more cash in midfield. A lot of tempting players there.

    2. It’s a Knockaert
      • 6 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      Not sure all that money needs to be spent on KdB and azpi. What about vardy

  8. Robe Wan
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    6 years, 8 months ago

    What sums up England for me is the free kick situation

    Rashford clearly hits then best yet we have to endure Kane smashing it into the wall and then Walker (!) blazing over

    1. kysersosa
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      Overall its a depressing performance.

    2. Pochecinno
      • 8 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      TBF to Kane, he does sometimes take them for Spurs even when Eriksen is on the pitch so he can't be that bad at them.

      1. Robe Wan
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 11 Years
        6 years, 8 months ago

        They don't go in though

  9. Mooster©️
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    6 years, 8 months ago

    Alonso Mee Rosenior BDavies Hegazi
    Want to replace Hejazi with up to 5.2 defender og could use my other FT to buy a 5.7 defender.
    What to do?

    1. It’s a Knockaert
      • 6 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      Maguire

  10. Team Cruel
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    6 years, 8 months ago

    Southgate the right man to lead England to WC glory?

    1. F4L
      • 9 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      don't think it was ever in doubt

    2. Fred54
      • 9 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      Well know that Mark Sampson has been axed and the Women's NT progressing well, he should fill the hole and lead them to glory.

      1. Team Cruel
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 8 Years
        6 years, 8 months ago

        Not sure about the 'filling the hole' part, didn't that get Sampson sacked?

        1. Fred54
          • 9 Years
          6 years, 8 months ago

          Innuendo intended. 😉

  11. kysersosa
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    6 years, 8 months ago

    Henderson and Ox are going straight in WC team after that half!

  12. F4L
    • 9 Years
    6 years, 8 months ago

    Pep needs to become England manager after he wins the treble with City this season

    1. Robe Wan
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      He wouldn't be able to buy half a billion of players though

      No idea why anyone thinks Pep is better than anyone else

      1. F4L
        • 9 Years
        6 years, 8 months ago

        because of how his teams play. High tempo, one touch/ two touch, England are so slow and every player feels the need to take unnecessary touches. Pep would sort this out

        1. Robe Wan
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 11 Years
          6 years, 8 months ago

          They were gash last year and they were already stacked full of good players

          Nothing clever about making Barca and Bayern press and pass

          1. F4L
            • 9 Years
            6 years, 8 months ago

            they weren't that bad, just had some defensive issues to sort out, which aren't there anymore now. Just because Pep didn't win any trophies last year doesn't make it a bad manager all of a sudden.

          2. Delph & Safety
            • 6 Years
            6 years, 8 months ago

            If it was so easy to manage Bayern Munich then why was ancelotti sacked?

            Pep didn’t win the champions league there but he did such a good job he was actually in Munich a few days ago speaking to the Bayern board about the new manager.

    2. Pochecinno
      • 8 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      Klopp. England teams only know how to play boring defensive football. He needs to inject some heavy metal into them

    3. Sánchez
      • 11 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      He'll be the first Catalonia manager

  13. fridge
    • 12 Years
    6 years, 8 months ago

    0.1 ITB 2 FT

    De Gea. Elliott
    Bavies. Bertrand. Mee. Dawson. Hune
    Ramsey. Eriksen. Ritchie. Shaqiri. Carroll
    Kane. Lukaku. Firmino

    Firmino > Vardy seems sensible. Y/N?

  14. FER FUSCH AKE
    • 7 Years
    6 years, 8 months ago

    OMG what did I just see? THH GREAT DANE HIMSELF, FOOTBALL god, LORD NICKLAS BENDTNER, on the bench today.

    1. Monkey Hanger
      • 10 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      Scoring like crazy atm. In Norwegian league mind.

  15. Jafooli
    • 12 Years
    6 years, 8 months ago

    Woy returning as England manager would improve this team.

    1. Fantasy Gold
      • 10 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      I want Steve McLaren back

      1. Jafooli
        • 12 Years
        6 years, 8 months ago

        Woy & Brolly double up.....

        1. Fantasy Gold
          • 10 Years
          6 years, 8 months ago

          I think they'd make the perfect duo

    2. n-doggg
      • 11 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      And CPL

      1. Jafooli
        • 12 Years
        6 years, 8 months ago

        😛

  16. ooooo
    • 6 Years
    6 years, 8 months ago

    Why didn't Cahil play vs stoke?

    1. TorresMagic™
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • Has Moderation Rights
      • 14 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      31 minutes

      1. ooooo
        • 6 Years
        6 years, 8 months ago

        ?

        1. ooooo
          • 6 Years
          6 years, 8 months ago

          Oh right..why didn't he start?

          1. Fred54
            • 9 Years
            6 years, 8 months ago

            Rested from being suspended.

            🙂

  17. Fantasy Gold
    • 10 Years
    6 years, 8 months ago

    No leadership or spirit in this England team.

    It is quite obvious that most of the players do not like each other.

    We'll never prosper with the selfish attitude a lot of our players have.

    Pick players on merit, pick team players, pick a system that suits them.

    Not hard is it.

  18. n-doggg
    • 11 Years
    6 years, 8 months ago

    Thoughts on this WC

    Fabi, Elliot
    Davies, monreal, Walker, Cedric, 4.0
    Hazard, Sterling, choupo, atsu, surman
    Kane, Jesus, Vardy

    Thanks all

    1. Lone Wolf FPL
      • 8 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      I would downgrade walker (to stones if you really want City def) and upgrade atsu (richarlison probably)

  19. F4L
    • 9 Years
    6 years, 8 months ago

    I really think all the England players have a superiority complex. You would have thought losing to Iceland would have brought them back down to Earth, but no

    1. Fantasy Gold
      • 10 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      Yep, massive egos when there is nothing to justify it.

    2. Pochecinno
      • 8 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      The dick Woy Hodgson fecked off after the Iceland game so there was no chance for a proper post-mortem

  20. Legomané
    • Has Moderation Rights
    • 6 Years
    6 years, 8 months ago

    What have been the main factors in your decision to hit the WC switch this season (GW2-7).

    For me (WC active) I didn't own any Chelsea or City coming into a week where both teams commence beautiful runs of fixtures.

    Barring a Coutinho > Silva/Sterling or Lukaku > Jesus switch, I didn't really have any easy routes toward either club and to go into this stretch without a few participants would be a scary prospect.

    Another smaller but niggling factor was that I've held off and off replacing the likes of Mooy, Bertrand, Long, Romeu (and Firmino to an extent) due to dealing with numerous injury/suspension crisis this season (Zaha, Kompany, Mané, Pogba, Aguero off the top of my head...). I hate the sight of all of them, and shiver at the prospect of losing value on 2 or 3 before I have a chance to shift on.

    Lastly, having started the season with Foster/Myhill due to WBA's positive early fixture spree I was keen to freshen up my GKs and jump aboard the Elliot train. Enter, the Pope.

    Happy with my decision... hopefully I'll feel the same way before and after next weekend....would be nice if the market was a little more volatile though, to have a bit more fun 🙂

    1. RAFA THE GAFFA
      • 8 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      Yeah, in a very similar boat to you! How’s the WC looking? 🙂

      1. Legomané
        • Has Moderation Rights
        • 6 Years
        6 years, 8 months ago

        Currently 5-3-2 with triple Spurs, triple City double Burnley def, Couts, Jones and Marcos 🙂

    2. Joey Barton and Friends
      • 12 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      ditto on the City/Chelsea asessts. My big question is if I should get rid of Lukaku

      1. Legomané
        • Has Moderation Rights
        • 6 Years
        6 years, 8 months ago

        I'm dumping him as it stands. May wimp out and keep instead of Jesus and double up with Sterling/Sané

  21. RAFA THE GAFFA
    • 8 Years
    6 years, 8 months ago

    Toying towards D.Silva over Sterling again on Wildcard after watching him tonight

    1. Deulofail
      • 8 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      Get the D. No toys needed

  22. Joey Barton and Friends
    • 12 Years
    6 years, 8 months ago

    coutinho or salah?

    1. Fantasy Gold
      • 10 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      Cout

    2. Lone Wolf FPL
      • 8 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      Cou

  23. Fantasy Gold
    • 10 Years
    6 years, 8 months ago

    I want to see Joe Hart on all set pieces.

    At least it'd wake everybody up.

  24. ooooo
    • 6 Years
    6 years, 8 months ago

    A) Alonso
    B)Cahill
    C) Azpi

    1. puhd
      • 9 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      I like C

    2. Lone Wolf FPL
      • 8 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      A

    3. Winston.
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      A

  25. Wild Rover
    • 13 Years
    6 years, 8 months ago

    I don't know whether is because England are kak or because it spoils FPL but I've really lost my love for International football, it used to be more important than club football for me. Maybe it's because club sides are so multinational these days? How about Prem 11 v La Liga 11 or Bundesliga 11 instead?

    1. Fantasy Gold
      • 10 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      Every FPL addict hates international footy.

      1. Sánchez
        • 11 Years
        6 years, 8 months ago

        I don't. I don't care at all about club football. I only follow it for FPL and my coupons. I haven't watched a club game in about 18 months. I never miss a match at international tournaments

      2. Lone Wolf FPL
        • 8 Years
        6 years, 8 months ago

        this
        I love WC and Euro but qualis are pain in the azz

  26. puhd
    • 9 Years
    6 years, 8 months ago

    Who are the 3 best mids?

    I'm thinking Silva Hazard Coutinho.

    1. Kun Tozser
      • 8 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      Eriksen has to be in

      1. puhd
        • 9 Years
        6 years, 8 months ago

        I like Alli more than Eriksen

  27. Winston.
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 10 Years
    6 years, 8 months ago

    If Kompany is fit, who is nailed on...?

    A. Stones
    B. Otamendi
    C. Neither, rotated both

    Thanks.

    1. Lone Wolf FPL
      • 8 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      Its Pep so you just know its C big time

    2. badgerboy
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      History would say Stones.

      1. badgerboy
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 8 Years
        6 years, 8 months ago

        Sorry NOT Stones

  28. Jafooli
    • 12 Years
    6 years, 8 months ago

    5-0

    1. Fred54
      • 9 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      The Ox Curse hasn't affected England yet...

  29. Garlana
    • 9 Years
    6 years, 8 months ago

    Hart playing hot potato with the ball

    1. Fantasy Gold
      • 10 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      World class save

  30. FER FUSCH AKE
    • 7 Years
    6 years, 8 months ago

    if you couldn't go far with the likes of scholes, Gerard, lampard, Ferdinand, Beckham, Gary Neville, Rooney what on earth makes you think that the likes of Livermore, dier, ox, lingaard, sterling, stones will take you anywhere particularly far. Too much expectation brings the frustration. If you were to ask me, those players are playing at their level best.

    1. Bunk Moreland
      • 8 Years
      6 years, 8 months ago

      England are performing as you would expect. They are decent and qualifies for most tournaments. Sometimes, they even progress from the group stages. That's better than most teams.