Journalist Joshua Barrie has claimed that Rangers defender Ben Davies has a weakness in the air but his passing ability “outweighs any negatives”.
What’s the latest on Ben Davies and Rangers?
In the summer, the Ibrox outfit paid Liverpool £4m to land the centre-back permanently on a four-year deal and he has since established himself as a regular in the team.
Indeed, manager Michael Beale has started him in every Scottish Premiership game so far since taking over, with Rangers yet to lose.
Despite plenty of positives to focus on for Davies, it seems as though their could be a vulnerability to his game that could come back to haunt the club in the future.
When speaking on the Rangers Review podcast, Barrie noted that the 27-year-old isn’t “dominant” in the air and can look “suspect” in certain situations.
He said (18:58): “I think at points, Ben Davies in the air, looks a little bit suspect. I don’t think he’s that dominant – that’s something he’s acknowledged himself.
“But with that being said, what he gives you on the ball, what he gives you in trying to break down a defence. Playing, whether it be those lofted balls, diagonals over the top, or whether it be those kinds of wrapped passes into the striker’s feet, I think that far outweighs any negatives.”
Could Davies be a problem for Rangers?
In a scouting report on the player before arrived in Scotland, it was noted that he could have issues in the air. After all, while he was successful in 77.87 per cent of his defensive duels during his final season with Sheffield United, but won just 58.43 per cent of his aerial duels.
What’s more, in the league this season when compared to other Rangers centre-backs Connor Goldson and James Sands, he wins the least amount of aerial duels per 90 (via WhoScored).
With that all in mind, it certainly does seem as though he has a slight weakness in his game but so long as manager Beale is happy with everything else he can bring to Ibrox, then it seems as though he’ll continue getting regular starts for the foreseeable future.
