Vincent Janssen’s Time Will Come at Tottenham

How much longer will Tottenham supporters have to wait until Vincent Janssen comes good for the north London club? That depends on your expectations of the player regardless of his price tag when Spurs bought him.

Waiting for Vincent Janssen’s time to come at Tottenham will be quite a long wait.

So far in 26 total appearances, Janssen has tallied four goals (four penalties) and three assists in all competitions.

For many people this is hardly considered a “good” investment in their eyes after Spurs spent £17 million to buy him from AZ Alkmaar this past summer.

However, one must keep their expectations in check while also looking at who the Dutchman is competing against. Which would be Harry Kane.

Arguably one of the world’s best young strikers. And a player that won’t play second fiddle to anyone, making an outright challenge for the starting striker job difficult to even fathom.

Therefore, to say that Janssen is a flop after five months of football wouldn’t be entirely wrong, though it’s not exactly correct either.

While the goals haven’t been coming in, the opportunities haven’t either.

“To expect him [Vincent Janssen] to score 27 league goals again is a pipe dream.”
– Alexander Balano

In 17 Premier League appearances, Vincent Janssen has started five games.

Of those five matches, Mauricio Pochettino paired Janssen and Kane together just twice this season (Crystal Palace and West Ham United, both at home).

The subsequent starts for the 22-year-old Dutch striker came in relief of an injured Kane for seven weeks until he came back against Arsenal.

Since then, Janssen has suffered his own ankle injury and been relegated to backup duty.

Not surprisingly Vincent Janssen wasn’t going to get a starting job upon signing for Tottenham, so to expect him to score 27 league goals again is a pipe dream.

Even more so when the Premier League is a different beast compared to the Eredivisie.

As soon as the high expectations are laid to rest and you can accept Vincent Janssen for who he is now with Tottenham (a backup striker) than who he was with AZ (a starter), the less frustrated you’ll be.

Related Story: Tottenham Eyeing Dutch Striker for Summer Transfer

Last season, Janssen was a starter, leading Alkmaar’s line and benefiting from a league that isn’t as physical as the Premiership.

While he took a while to start scoring goals on a consistent basis, Janssen was unchallenged on the roster, making 32 league starts and coming off the bench twice in 34 Eredivisie matches.

Starting games matters a whole lot. You get to build confidence knowing that you’re a part of the starting XI and a key player in the manager’s gameplan.

You’re relaxed in the sense that you have the manager’s backing. You essentially are a major piece to the club’s success on the pitch.

When you’re sitting on the bench, you start to question yourself. By the time you get your opportunity to play — off the bench or getting a spot start — you begin to rush things.

Hoping that you score immediately to capitalize on this rare occasion of getting valuable minutes. Though trying to get on the scoreboard in a little over 30 minutes or less than that is not ideal.

In a word, Vincent Janssen is indeed rushing things.

He knows all too well that he turned heads with his goalscoring exploits last season. The fact that Tottenham paid £17 million to sign him means that the expectations have already been set — unfairly mind you, because of Spurs’ situation.

“Going into the summer transfer window, Tottenham needed a backup striker. Not a striker that would take Harry Kane’s job.”
– Alexander Balano

What has also hampered Janssen is a lack of confidence according to David Hynter of The Guardian.

Hynter believes that choosing the safe option position-wise on the pitch to receive the ball and not having that initial burst of pace is only adding more to his lack of self-confidence.

“Janssen’s confidence looks shot. Although his general play has sometimes been good, he has taken the safe option too regularly in the attacking third, the surest sign of a loss of self-belief.” David Hynter explains.

“He continues to be dogged by the question of whether his lack of a burst of pace is a fatal flaw to his prospects in English football.”

“The hope is that Janssen can find the spark as he did at AZ and make a contribution to the business end of Tottenham’s season, and as they fight for success on three fronts: the league, Europa League and FA Cup.”

“This is the period in which the depth of a squad is crucial and when a manager needs his fringe players to step up.”

***

Going into the summer transfer window, Tottenham needed a backup striker. Not a striker that would take Harry Kane’s job.

Kane needed rest in order to not play in too many games and not get injured. Though that doesn’t look like that’ll happen this year.

Harry Kane missing seven weeks could be attributed to Mauricio Pochettino sticking to the same starters he always picks to face a Sunderland team, that although played a very good game at White Hart Lane earlier in the season, wouldn’t haven’t challenged Spurs for a win.

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While Tottenham claimed victory, that game was known for seeing Kane, Eric Dier and Mousa Dembélé leave with injuries and missing some time off in the following matches.

That said, this doesn’t mean that Vincent Janssen should play in every single game over Harry Kane. But against bottom of the table teams — especially clubs in the relegation zone — Janssen deserves to start over Kane.

The Dutchman’s goalscoring form hasn’t been good this season with Tottenham but it’s too early to write the 22-year-old off.

Harry Kane deserves to always start based on his ability to score and score in bunches. But at some point, finding the Englishman’s understudy needs to start soon, and at the moment Janssen is their best option on the current roster.

Based on what Fred Grim has seen this season, Holland’s assistant manager, he knows that in due time, Vincent Janssen will do good eventually.

“Of course, in England, you look to the goals but Vincent is always important for the team,” Grim said. “I have seen a lot of his games this season and he is giving pressure, running, pushing, always busy.”

“At AZ he scored no goals at first – or only a few – and after the winter break he scored a lot. It will come for him at Tottenham. It will come. I know that, for sure.”

Having the patience to sit through constant uninspiring shifts from Janssen will be a major test for everyone, but the writing was on the wall when he first joined Spurs.

He was here to be a backup for Harry Kane first and foremost. And his numbers, four goals and three assists in 26 appearances in all competitions, is a good starting point as a backup striker.

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Can Janssen start alongside Kane? Yes. But that depends entirely on Mauricio Pochettino and how he can select the best system to incorporate two strikers and keep everyone happy at the same time.

The longer that Vincent Janssen is on the bench and the less opportunities that he gets, it not only looks bad on the Dutchman to not acclimate quicker to the rigors of the Premier League, but also for Pochettino to sign a player that is ill-suited for England’s top flight division and not giving him as many opportunities as he should have.