Tottenham’s Jan Vertonghen Could Return This Weekend
By Ryan Wrenn
Though Tottenham expected him to be out for much longer, Jan Vertonghen might be available for Mauricio Pochettino to select as soon as Sunday’s trip to Fulham.
The Evening Standard on Wednesday recounted Pochettino’s claim that the Belgian international might even make Tottenham’s starting XI for the FA Cup fifth round tie.
It is difficult to overstate how welcome Vertonghen’s accelerated recovery would be to this Spurs team. Without the centre-back Pochettino isn’t confident enough to field the team in a 3-4-2-1 formation that proved so devastating in the club’s December-January winning streak.
Instead, he’s reverted to a 4-2-3-1 formation that doesn’t look nearly as effective when it is missing Vertonghen — not to mention the also-injured pair of Danny Rose and Érik Lamela.
Proof of that impression lies no further than the results. Since Vertonghen went down injured in January’s 4-0 win over West Brom, Tottenham struggled to beat Wycombe Wanderers and Middlesbrough while also suffering draws against Manchester City and Sunderland. Saturday’s 2-0 loss to a vibrant Liverpool side made it especially clear how much Tottenham missed Vertonghen’s talent and leadership.
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Something broadly similar happened when Vertonghen’s countryman and partner in the central of defense, Toby Alderweireld, went down injured in October. In the seven weeks the former Southampton man was out, Spurs won just two of the eleven matches they played in all competition.
It’s no coincidence that Alderweireld’s return in December marked the beginning of a rousing comeback that took Spurs to second place by the time the second half of the season began.
Pochettino will hope that Vertonghen’s return might spark something similar this time around. After Saturday’s poor result at Anfield, Tottenham need to hit the ground running when the Premier League resumes next weekend.
Next: The Tottenham Team That Can Beat Gent
In the mean time, Pochettino should not feel rushed to get Vertonghen minutes. Matches against Gent and Fulham should hopefully not require Vertonghen’s services. Eric Dier and Vertonghen’s once-understudy Kevin Wimmer should be more than up to the task along with Academy graduate Cameron Carter-Vickers.