Martin Keown has suggested that Danny Rose could be key to Tottenham getting a result against Ajax on Tuesday night.
Spurs come up against the Dutch giants in the Champions League semi-final first leg tomorrow evening, and despite being Keown’s “favourites” for the competition, he believes that Ajax’s weakness lies on the right flank.
Writing in a column for the Daily Mail, he said: “Ajax are my favourites for the Champions League but if there is weakness that Tottenham can exploit it is on their right flank.
“Joel Veltman, at right back, and winger Lasse Schone struggled for pace up against Federico Bernardeschi during their victory over Juventus in the quarter-finals. Danny Rose could have a lot of joy running at those two on Tuesday night.”
OPINION
First things first, it is a huge claim for Keown to suggest that Ajax are his favourites for the competition. Yes, they disposed of Real Madrid and Juventus in a fairly leisurely manner, but neither of those sides afforded them much respect, and you get the impression that if Spurs prepare properly, they should have the edge on them. Even if Mauricio Pochettino’s side can’t get through, however, you would expect either Liverpool or Barcelona to go to town on them in the final. That aside, Keown raises a pretty decent point here. Rose has the potential to be a real secret weapon on Tuesday night, but if he is to really cause the Dutch side problems, he needs to sort out his passing. His completion rates have been some of the worst in the Spurs team over recent weeks, and while he may have the legs and the mindset to bomb on down the wing, all of that effort will be wasted should he fail to find a teammate with his end product.