Ben Davies scouted: Rangers-linked left-footed pitching wedge with stylistic suitability

The 26-year-old, who spent last season on loan at Sheffield United, is a left-footed centre-back comfortable with the ball at his feet. While Giovanni van Bronckhorst has plenty of options alongside Connor Goldson, Davies should provide the first-choice pick as the vice-captain’s defensive partner.

With Calvin Bassey joining Ajax and Filip Helander victim of another injury setback recently, Rangers have been in the market for a left-footed defender.

Davies is 6 foot 1, entering his prime and, according to last season’s heatmap attached below, comfortable operating on the left side of the defence.

While he has provided cover at left-back during his career, it seems unlikely that Davies will play that role at Ibrox through choice. Rangers will require a further addition at left-back to compensate for the loss of Bassey, who of course filled both positions last season.

Davies was signed by Liverpool in 2021 after Jurgen Klopp’s side suffered an injury crisis. He never played for the club, but that fact in isolation discounts the factors that led to an Anfield move in the first place.

According to The Athletic, Davies was viewed as the standout left-footed centre-back in the Championship by Liverpool scouts and his value at the time, £2million, was a result of Covid’s impact on the market and the six months left on his Preston contract.

Indeed, journalist Simon Hughes claims a source from the club said at the time: “He’s a better player than Adam Webster, who signed for Brighton (from Bristol City) a couple of years ago for £20 million.”

Rangers will view the £4m package as fair value for a leading Championship player entering his prime.  

Distribution and modelling Goldson

While Helander offers a reliable, left-footed passing option over short distances and the now departed Leon Balogun preferred carrying the ball, Davies is a well-rounded distributor. 

As shown by his progressive distribution map from the 2021/22 Championship season, passes far outweigh carries.

For an action to be considered progressive, it must travel:

• 30 meters, if starting and finishing points there are in own half
• 15 meters, if starting and finishing points there are in other halfs
• 10 meters, if starting and finishing points there are in opponent half

We can see the Englishman is capable of switching play via diagonals, opening up his body and finding his left-back/left wing-back or hitting the front line directly. He averaged 9.6 progressive passes per game last season, 79.9 percent of which found their target. An overall pass completion rate of 88.39 percent is impressive when considering the defender was often tasked with getting the ball into the attacking third at the Blades.

Despite playing the majority of last season on the left of a back three, Davies is likely to see more of the ball at Ibrox. Balogun averaged 51.79 passes in the Scottish Premiership last season and Goldson 64.98, both higher than Davies’ 50.39. Therefore, it's useful to outline his passing statistics from a similar sample size. 

Davies is capable of playing direct balls over the midfield and passing out under pressure. It is essential for van Bronckhorst to have centre-backs adept at the former in particular.

Sheffield United played a relatively direct brand of football last season and consequentially, that required Davies to often find runs in behind. He can break lines with his instep and find runners in behind, often delaying his distribution until an optimal gap opens.

In this example, he drifts wide, waits for his teammate to move into the left channel and punches the ball through midfield.

In another scenario, the 26-year-old steps into midfield unpressurised and breaks the defensive block with a pass, taking responsibility rather than opting for a yellow-indicated, safer passing option.

Not only able to stroke the ball through midfield, he can also play over or around the opposition defence, as Goldson does so regularly at Ibrox.

Here, with a fair distance to cover, Davies clips the ball perfectly into an onrushing wing-back.

These cute, dinked deliveries regularly feature in the defender's game.

Below, he finds his striker’s chest to move Sheffield United into the attacking third.

And in this example from his time at Preston, he uses his first touch to set up a perfectly weighted through ball.

The defender can play quickly when needed, given his comfort in receiving with an open body position that also sets up his subsequent pass. 

Often, if one centre-back is clearly a stronger passer than the other, opponents will cut off passing lanes and allow the weaker link possession. A Goldson-Davies partnership should make that ploy difficult for opponents. The incoming defender is happy creating from deep, capable of varying passes and difficult to press.

The fact Davies is also a left-footer should improve the team’s balance.

Speaking about the importance of his own left-footed centre-back in 2021, Pep Guardiola said: “There are many actions to build up - to make our play quicker, better - but we can’t do them. Not because the other players are not good but because Laporte is the only left-footed central defender.”

Defensive duels and aerial worry?

Davies lacks the power of Goldson and the explosiveness of Bassey - although who doesn’t? - relying more on game intelligence when defending high up the park. 

He was successful in 77.87 percent of his defensive duels last season, but won a considerably lower 58.43 percent of his aerial duels, which gives cause for concern.

As demonstrated by his defensive action map, the ex-Preston man isn’t afraid to stay with his man and contest duels high in the midfield, a necessity for any centre-back playing under van Bronckhorst, given his preference for man-orientated defending.

In both examples below, he’s quick enough to stop his man from turning and regains possession. 

Whereas in this situation, the Englishman bides his time before taking action, having followed his marker into midfield.

This trait is notable when watching Davies; his positional sense is solid and rarely is he seen to dive into tackles or rush a duel. Here, his body position forces Dominic Solanke’s pass into an area he can intercept after a high turnover.

Below, he demonstrates a quick enough turn of pace after an error by John Fleck, married up with the necessary composure to make his tackle at the right moment.

Later in the same game, Davies again stops Nottingham Forest’s Keinan Davis by nicking the ball away after contesting a foot race.

In the air, Davies is less accomplished. Often, he can be seen attempting to clear high balls with his feet rather than his head.

Given he isn’t notably tall and lacks explosive power in the air, Davies isn’t dominant in this area. It could be said that Bassey too lacked aerial presence and survived in the Scottish Premiership. However, given Rangers’ weakness from corners last season, there is evidence to suggest that Davies may take time to adapt in certain games north of the border.

A signing that makes sense?

As aforementioned, Rangers won’t let a lack of game time at Liverpool take away from the quality Davies possesses. After all, Liverpool viewed him as the leading left-footed centre-back in the Championship when buying him from Preston in January 2021.

An ability to progress play into the final third outlines the player's suitability for van Bronckhorst's style of play. And although he won't be able to replicate Bassey's recovery pace, Davies is comfortable defending high up the pitch and engaging as a proactive defender. 

While not the strongest contesting aerial duels, Davies appears a smart signing. He is arriving at the peak of his career from a club willing to sell, with a list of credentials that should fit van Bronckhorst's preferences.