Wimmer has Filled Vertonghen’s Void Perfectly at Spurs

It took some time to get a clear picture, but it’s obvious now that Kevin Wimmer has done a job since coming into the Spurs’ first team.

When news came through that Jan Vertonghen’s injury sustained in January’s match against Crystal Palace would rule him out at least through the beginning of April, it seemed like a cause for genuine concern. Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld represented arguably the best centre-back pair in the Premier League, responsible for the least goals conceded in the entire league. It would be no easy task to replace someone of the Belgian’s quality.

With Spurs’ other options mostly sold in the summer and Federico Fazio on the way out, the burden of filling Vertonghen’s boots fell to Kevin Wimmer. The 23-year-old Austrian had just been brought in the summer, and while he had a few domestic cup and Europa League matches to his credit it was not at all clear that he could perform as well in the Premier League.

This seems like an especially big risk considering the sheer amount of matches Wimmer would be obliged to play until Vertonghen’s expected return, and not just in the Premier League. The lack of first team cover beneath him on the roster would meant that he would have to continue to play through Spurs’ remaining cup games, including a home and away set against Fiorentina in February. Eighteen-year-old youth academy student Cameron Carter-Vickers could in theory cover some minutes, but that was far from the ideal scenario.

When the January transfer window deadline came and passed, it was clear that Mauricio Pochettino and company felt that resting so much on Wimmer’s shoulders was not the risk it appeared to be. They, after all, would know better than most what what the Austrian was capable of, and far be it from anyone to question their expertise after constructing such a masterful defensive display over the season up to that point.

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The problem was that is wasn’t exactly enough for Wimmer to be a good centre-back. It was clear enough from his years spent playing for FC Köln that he was at the very least promising. What Spurs needed him to do was specifically do the things that Vertonghen did so well.

What is it that Vertonghen does so well? He plays the ball, moreso than many other Premier League centre-backs. While Alderweireld covers in behind him, he pushes up from the backline and becomes an option not only to distribute the ball but also receive it, making him a key cog in the machinery of Spurs’ attempts to control and work with possession. Prior to his injury, he was notching 52.2 passes per game in the Premier League with an accuracy rate of 87%.

Yes, his passes are rarely more than simple things, but the way Spurs recycle possession it helps tremendously to have a ball playing defender like the Belgian. There was a real risk that Spurs might lose that fluidity once Vertonghen went down.

Instead, they got Wimmer. If anything, he’s been better than Vertonghen in terms of passing. Sunday’s match saw Wimmer with 86 completed passes, the most of any other player on the pitch. In the matches prior to that, he’d come close to reaching Vertonghen’s per match passing frequency, while also bettering the Belgian in some other metrics. His accurate long ball frequency in particular is vastly superior to Vertonghen’s – 5 per match compared to 3.7.

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More importantly, Spurs have not seen any drop off in terms of goals conceded since Wimmer stepped up – and things might have actually improved. In his eight full Premier League matches played since Vertonghen’s injury, Spurs have given up five goals. Over a similar span of games prior to his injury, Vertonghen presided over matches in which Spurs gave up a total of six goals.

There’s a lot of variability in defense of course, and that’s a very small sample size, but it at least hints at Wimmer’s ability to sustain the serenity that Vertonghen helped build in Spurs’ defensive line. It’s not all been perfect – Wimmer fouls much more often than Vertonghen, for instance – but overall it is the absolute best situation that Pochettino could have hoped for. Spurs have now have a bonified surplus of talented centre-backs, and Wimmer’s youth mean his future should be bright with the club.