Son and Davies Kick-Start Their Seasons as Tottenham Thrash Stoke City Again

Prior to his team's visit to Stoke City on Saturday, Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino talked about not getting stuck in the past. They had beat the Potters 4-0 in April, but in his mind, that result had little bearing on prospects for this latest meeting.

"I think when you play, football is in the present, not the past," he told his club's official website. "It’s not about yesterday, it’s today and then tomorrow."

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Despite a repeat of the scoreline in Tottenham's favour and some similarly impressive football dispatching Stoke again, a couple of his players will be particularly glad their boss is not beholden to previous achievements and results.

Left-back Ben Davies and attacking midfielder Heung-Min Son were both handed their first starts of the season. Two of Pochettino's more frequently rotated players last time out (not among the stars of that night at the bet365 Stadium), both utilised the opportunities to kick-start the new campaign with solid performances in the 4-0 win—Son especially impressing with two well-taken goals.

Davies' chance came as a result of his full-back colleague and rival Danny Rose suffering a hamstring injury on international duty. Son benefited from Erik Lamela being rested following his more tiring schedule with Argentina.

After a somewhat staid start to 2016-17, change might have done Spurs some good, regardless. There was good in their three games—a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace sandwiched by draws with Everton and Liverpool—but also room for improvement.

Often alternated with Rose anyway, Davies was just about guaranteed to start against Stoke in the latter's absence. Son's appearance was less inevitable, the possibility of one or more of the north Londoners' new signings getting a run-out instead very much there.

"Today, when you look at our squad, we have the possibility to play in different ways," Pochettino said of his new recruits, again per the Tottenham website, also later praising the academy hopefuls knocking on the first-team door too. 

"That is important because we have different alternatives across the team in order to compete in all competitions."

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As it was, winger Georges-Kevin Nkoudou was not quite fit enough to be included, while midfielder Moussa Sissoko only made the bench. Vincent Janssen joined him, as Pochettino opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation, rather than one featuring a front two of the Dutchman and Harry Kane.

After missing Spurs' first two matches while representing South Korea at the Olympic Games, Son returned for the Liverpool game but was an unused substitute. If there were a silver lining to his club not yet firing on all cylinders, it was no one had cemented themselves ahead of him.

So Son got his chance against Stoke here. He will have known full well what his manager was expecting of him.

"In football, you always need to be ready to compete," Pochettino had also said in his aforementioned call for focus in the present. "That's always difficult because in the Premier League every game is tough but in our minds, the idea is to go and try to win the game, win the three points, that's important."

You could argue Son was one of the players more hard done by from Tottenham's dramatic, ultimately disappointing finish to last season. He only made it on late in the brilliant win over Stoke and having done his part with goals against Chelsea and Southampton, saw his team-mates lose their heads as first, then second place disappeared.

Early on in this season's clash with Mark Hughes' side, the 24-year-old might have been wondering if he was going to lose out again.

Spurs started sluggishly in possession and were forced back as the home team sought an early lead. Positioned at left-wing, Son saw little off the ball in the first 15 minutes and looked a little off the pace too.

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Individually he felt his way into the game by dropping back to help out Davies and connect with the nearby Victor Wanyama just inside. Correspondingly, Spurs gradually slowed Stoke's assaults on them but were still wanting for quality further forward.

Although his touch was lacking somewhat and the team's passing going awry, Son's increasing willingness to try to get between the lines was contributing to the improvement.

A long diagonal sent him into the hosts' penalty box where he went down under a Geoff Cameron challenge. Later in the half, he telegraphed a run into the same left-hand side even more and was comfortably blocked by Ryan Shawcross.

In between times, his getting into good positions went unrewarded with attempted connections intercepted or directed unsuccessfully elsewhere. His own square ball to Christian Eriksen on the half-hour mark was diverted into Dele Alli's path, only for the midfielder to scuff wide.

Speaking afterward to the Spurs website, Pochettino declared himself happy with the team's effort in this middle part of the half and certainly with what followed: "It's true that we started the game a little sloppy, but after 15 or 20 minutes we got on top, scored the goal and started to handle the game."

Son had been unable to find Eriksen before, but the Dane had no such trouble with him on the 41st minute.

Easily beating Joe Allen out right, he teed up his unmarked fellow attacker who only had to open his left foot out to convert the cutback.

Boosted by the goal, Spurs' play opened up with an even livelier Son helping to stretch and individually tire the flagging Potters. He began the second half out right, but it was back out left where he would score his second.

Son's provider, Eriksen, enjoyed his best display of the season. (That new contract seemingly was a load off his mind.) Again playing with the creativity and grit he has often combined so effectively under Pochettino's tutelage, his determination to create space for himself in setting up Son to complete his double will have pleased his manager enormously.

The two-goal man rightly paid Eriksen credit after (see above). Positive as his work in general had been, he knew the playmaker had made him look even better in the boss' eyes.

"We have a lot of games ahead where we need Sonny and he can be important for the team," Pochettino said, Wednesday's Champions League fixture with Monaco now at the forefront of his mind. "They were great goals, fantastic for him and the team and we’re all very pleased with his performance."

Davies' afternoon was more low-key.

Tottenham's superiority after the interval allowed him to get forward and stretch his legs. He set up a shooting chance for Alli, while one of his own was inadvertently blocked by Eric Dier. One central run started promisingly before he lost control and prodded aimlessly forward.

Mostly, though, the Welshman's priority was keeping the left flank protected well. Though not immune to Spurs' initial uncertainty (and later on rescued by Jan Vertonghen when Jonathan Walters almost caught him out), he steadied and ensured the defence was not lacking for balance without Rose.

Davies matched the combative Walters aerially and on the ground. He was a ready and available outlet for his centre-backs too, and when necessary, he cleared his lines safely.

Rose still retains the initiative in this inner-squad left-back battle. Still, Davies has laid down another marker for which to keep his team-mate on his toes, one he will hope to build on against Monaco after enjoying participation in this victory.

Elsewhere, Spurs' other goalscorers, Alli and Kane, will be grateful for the confidence boost as they seek to recapture last season's form. The latter scored his 50th league goal for the club (set up by Son), and he will hope it helps silence doubters quick to jump on any hint of a drought he goes through.

"Now he'll feel free and happy and will just play football, that's most important," Pochettino suggested after.

Also notable was Sissoko coming on as a substitute to make his debut.

The enthusiastic cameo included a diverted cross almost catching out Shay Given and a booking for a foul on Erik Pieters. His new club's demanding schedule should afford him more substantial match time soon enough.

Overall, the win will create optimism that Spurs are finding their feet. They are unbeaten so far, and there was evidence in their eventually confident showing that things are starting to come together.

More challenging foes than Hughes' stumbling, winless Stoke await. But if players old and new follow Davies and Son's lead in maximising their opportunities here—and they too try to push on—Pochettino should get his wish for a Tottenham team establishing a positive reputation firmly in the present.