OPINION
Tottenham defender Ben Davies was in an unwinnable situation against Manchester City on Saturday as there wasn’t much more he could have done to stop Bernardo Silva running riot.
The Spurs 25-year-old was given the task of trying to stop the Manchester City attacker being able to weave his magic in the game, and you couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.
Silva is in the form of his life this season, he has scored 12 goals while assisting 12, and borders of being unstoppable when at his best.
If a defender forces Silva out wide, he still finds a way to excel, and if you try to force him off the wing in order to play through the middle, he thrives in that situation also.
So what was Davies expected to do? He needed his teammates to help double-up on Silva, but more often than not they were nowhere to be seen.
This actually left the Spurs full-back being ripped apart by several supporters for his display on Twitter, as many thought he could do better.
Yet hopefully those fans caught Jermaine Jenas on Match of the Day on Saturday as his verdict on Silva, showed the near-impossible task that Davies had when it came to stopping him.
“He was right at it, he had the bit between his teeth and he really gave Ben Davies a really tough time down that right hand side, he was twisting and turning, Ben Davies didn’t really want to get close to him,” said Jenas on BBC One’s Match of the Day (Saturday April 20th, 22:45).
“He has that aura about him now where he commands space as players don’t want to get too close to you as he tends to embarrass them and he does that, he can get between the lines all day in this game.
“And that is what happened, he pops things around the corner, he glides by players like they’re not even there, he’s obviously quicker than he seems and nimble on his feet, and he was just in the mood.”
So when you consider that Jenas can’t seem to suggest a way to stop Silva, and highlights that he was in the mood, then it proves Davies was in an unwinnable situation on Saturday.