With recent international performances mirroring the quality shown at club level, it is of no surprise to see the plethora of compliments from pundits and fans alike for Tottenham Hotspur left back Danny Rose.
Rewind just over two seasons ago, with a new five year contract Danny Rose was one of the most surprising and under performing players in the Spurs squad to earn a new deal. The fallout across social media from unhappy fans was an infamous time in the patchy recent history of the club and it’s dealings with current players and transfers. Rose was positionally naive and seemingly had the defensive mindset that you either stand off and provide a player with too much time and space, or you go in with an attitude of all or nothing, and take whatever you can with you, as long as you get the ball at some point along the way! This style was obviously not proving successful for Rose as he was not only miles away from the England set up, but also in danger of losing his place in the Spurs side with the signing of promsing young Wales international Ben Davies in 2014.
With the introduction of father figure and mentor Mauricio Pochettino, Danny Rose has developed into a fantastic full back that not only works very efficiently in the Argentine’s system, but also shows his quality by performing well in England team that are lacking confidence and identity. Rose has become assured, more fit, positionally aware and he has added so much more going forward into his game, with assists and a goal not a surprise for the 26 year old from Leeds.
This season with Spurs starting well and stumbling slightly recently, the left back has remained incredibly consistent and professional, with fans really appreciating his work rate and will to win. This attitude has to be recognised as not many players at the highest level have enough determination and quality to turn around their fortunes so impressively, so to make all of the footballing community take a complete U-turn on their view of the fullback. This point is greatly reinforced when you are to find that Danny Rose is one of only eight players who featured in the season before Pochettino’s arrival at N17 who still ply their trade at Tottenham Hotspur. The ruthless nature of Pochettino has earned the respect of many of the footballing community, but very few players since his arrival back in 2014 have reacted so well and performed so emphatically; other than maybe fellow fullback Kyle Walker, although he had proven his quality at times before the Pochettino era.
So now, as Danny Rose nears a decade of service at Tottenham Hotspur, it is often asked how much has Pochettino improved the clubs youngsters, but perhaps now it should be asked – How much has Danny Rose improved Tottenham? With the club holding the best defensive record in the top five leagues in Europe right now, and with Ben Davies despite a fantastic Euro 2016 well and truly second choice, it is fair to say Danny Rose has risen to the top.
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