Ben Davies scores as Spurs draw 2-2 with Hoffenheim

Photo: Steindy (talk) 16:04, 10 November 2016 (UTC) / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Tottenham's longest-serving player Ben Davies marked his return from injury with a goal as Spurs ended their pre-season schedule with a 2-2 draw against Bundesliga side Hoffenheim at Hotspur Way on Sunday.

Davies timed his run to meet Luca Williams-Barnett's cross after a short corner routine involving James Maddison, levelling Adam Hlozek's penalty at 1-1 on 20 minutes. Williams-Barnett then put Spurs ahead with a precise finish from Pape Matar Sarr's assist in first-half added time, before Valentin Gendrey equalised for Hoffenheim in the second half.

The match also saw James Maddison start his first game in over a year, lining up alongside Mateus Fernandes, Rodrigo Bentancur, Kevin Danso, Davies and Sarr.

Davies, entering his 13th season at the club, credited the set-piece delivery for his goal. "I should have scored last week, to be fair! I was making up for that one," he said. "It's something we work on quite a lot. We saw how important it was for us last season in the league, how important set-pieces are, where they changed a lot of games for us."

On the tactical approach being implemented by the new manager, Davies pointed to a clear shift in style. "You've seen this pre-season, we've tried to play a lot with the ball. You can see our midfielders are very confident to get on it, try to play forward as much as they can," he said. "One pass into Pape or one pass into Sandro, and all of a sudden, the ball's in the back of the net in a couple of passes. It's all with a reason."

Davies also highlighted the contribution of younger players during pre-season. "It's a big opportunity for these boys to come and show the manager what they can do," he said, drawing on his own experience coming through at Swansea. "I'm sure some of these boys have taken it and hopefully we'll see them get their chances this year as well."

Asked about heading into a 13th season at Spurs, Davies kept it straightforward: "I'm feeling really good. I'm really happy. I've got another 90 minutes under my belt, so very happy. I'm feeling fit."