Why did Mauricio Pochettino omit Jan Vertonghen from Tottenham opener?

Jan Vertonghen was a surprise omission from Tottenham’s lineup against Aston Villa, so why did Mauricio Pochettino leave him out of the squad for the season opener? 

The 32-year-old Belgian has been a permanent fixture at the heart of defence in recent seasons and was an influential figure in Tottenham’s improbable run to the Champions League Final last spring. Jan also played regularly in the pre-season, making his absence on Saturday all the more peculiar.

In his post-match interview, Pochettino said the following about his selection decision at centre back:

"“I want to play the players who deserve to play, who I think to deserve to play and who are playing well. My decision today was to play Toby. If the players didn’t play today, they need to work hard to get their opportunity.“I want to play the players who deserve to play, who I think to deserve to play and who are playing well. My decision today was to play Toby. If the players didn’t play today, they need to work hard to get their opportunity.”"

If you read between the lines, it appears as though Pochettino dropped Vertonghen for purely innocuous reasons, as the gaffer also referred to the benefit of resting his Belgian stalwart. It’s hard to imagine Vertonghen showed up so poorly in training that his absence was justified, particularly considering the Belgian’s level of consistency last season.

To determine the reason he was dropped, there’s two schools of thought: Pochettino, like he said, may have took the decision to rest his aging centre back, ensuring he’s fresh for the club’s crucial visit to the Etihad on Saturday. There is also a chance Jan took a slight knock in training which Pochettino preferred to keep quiet.

Unless Jan did suffer from a slight knock in training, you’d think starting one of your top two centre backs for the season opener would be a straightforward decision, even when playing a newly promoted side. Surely Jan, even when taking into consideration his age, doesn’t need rest before the season commences, which, in all likelihood, points to the second school of thought: his form in training or, potentially, something even more concerning.

You never know what happens behind closed doors unless a whistleblower comes to the fore, an unlikely outcome when talking about Pochettino and Jan. Both are consummate professionals, neither of whom would air their grievances to the public. So is it possible the two had a falling out, disagreeing about something that led to Jan’s exclusion?

Pochettino, in his forthcoming press conference prior to the Manchester City match, might shed some light on the ponderous situation. Probably not though.

However, the reason will invariably be revealed when the starting lineup is announced for the City match. If he isn’t in the starting team, he’s either injured or being ostracized, thrown into the doghouse for either listless on-field training sessions or due to a spat between him and the manager.

I’m not sure which is worse.

I find it hard to comprehend leaving Jan out based on training-park form alone, leading one to believe something else is going on behind the scenes. Hopefully this is mere speculation and all is put to rest when Jan lines up beside Toby Alderweireld on Saturday.

Otherwise, expect this story to manifest into something entirely more disconcerting.