Tottenham defender Ben Davies determined to respond after Galatasaray defeat
Spurs suffered their first Europa League defeat of the campaign after Galatasaray edged a five-goal thriller.
Ben Davies has urged Tottenham to respond to a tough defeat at Galatasaray with three points against Ipswich.
A spirited second-half display by 10-man Spurs failed to bring any Europa League reward in Istanbul after they suffered a 3-2 loss.
Tottenham were punished for an error-strewn first 45 minutes where they conceded three times, but could have shipped more goals.
The task for Ange Postecoglou’s patched-up team was made harder when Will Lankshear was sent off on the hour mark and, while Dominic Solanke scored off the bench, they could not find a late leveller.
Spurs were without a string of first-team players, with defenders Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero absent at Rams Park. Romero could return against Ipswich on Sunday, but centre-back Davies is ready if required.
“A tough one. I think we were the masters of our downfall in that first half and left ourselves a little bit too much to do in the second,” Davies reflected.
“Look it’s an incredibly intense place to play and there is probably nothing like that back home.
“It was something we definitely needed to handle better in the first half because I am sure if we look back on the video and take the atmosphere out of it, there was space to play. We just need to be a lot better on the ball.
“It’s another big game for us (against Ipswich). It would be nice if we could go into the international break with three more points on the board. That’s the hope.”
Lankshear will be available for Sunday’s home fixture despite a one-match ban in Europe being on the horizon.
Davies promised the squad would rally about the 19-year-old, who scored his first Tottenham goal after 18 minutes but received two bookings in quick succession after half-time.
“Unfortunately for Will it is tough and these things happen but he’ll learn from that. He’s pretty devastated in there but it’s up to us to help him through it now,” Davies insisted.
Galatasaray’s victory was inspired by a two-goal display from Victor Osimhen.
It was Galatasaray’s first match since Jose Mourinho launched a stinging attack on Turkish football and the “system” his Fenerbahce team are allegedly battling against.
Galatasaray boss Okan Buruk hit back at Mourinho’s claims and Osimhen insisted the Super Lig champions believe they can go all the way in the Europa League.
Osimhen said: “This is a big win for us and I think we have the squad to go further and of course try to win the Europa League, but it’s not going to be easy.
“We have also a lot of obstacles and a lot of good teams we are going to face, but we will be prepared for any of them.”
