Ex-Player Watch Player watch: Jan Vertonghen

[whitesocks]

I reckon he'll be gone come Sept.

There's something not quite right with our club behind the scenes. I'm sure of it.

There has been no suggestion that he wants to leave this window.
And MP has said he is picking his best 11, regardless of contract situations and him picking Alderweireld all last season, and now Eriksen seems to bear this out.
They may well have had a row though.

What isn't quite right is MP's outbursts in the press conferences. We never got to the bottom of that.

 

[Lilbaz]

There has been no suggestion that he wants to leave this window.
And MP has said he is picking his best 11, regardless of contract situations and him picking Alderweireld all last season, and now Eriksen seems to bear this out.
They may well have had a row though.

What isn't quite right is MP's outbursts in the press conferences. We never got to the bottom of that.

We got to the bottom of it. He was annoyed at journalists keeping on asking him about transfers and contracts when he had told them many time previously that he doesn't deal with them. Poch has never liked press conferences. If it wasn't for levy he'd still be pretending to not be able to speak english.

 

[yido_number1]

I reckon Jan will start against Newcastle. Big week in training and he'll put him in.

 

[spursfan77]

His name being mentioned in this article but hopefully it’s just laziness from the author because he is in the last year of his contract.

If Jan is annoyed then I suspect it’s to do with not being offered a new one like he’s said. Especially if he knows other players are in contract negotiations with the club. He’s been with us a long time now, it’s pretty disrespectful if he isn’t being offered one and other players are.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/footbal...rable-massive-mistake-closing-premier-league/

 

[greavesy461]

I think we need to get used to seeing big names on the bench. We have some serious squad depth at the moment if everyone stays.

 

[james Stock]

I can understand leaving a player out if his fitness levels are down, but why bring on two midfielders when you have a presumably fit, player of the year, top line defender sitting on the bench. Was Skipp a better bet than Vertonghen in the circumstances.

 

[Mark_147]

I can understand leaving a player out if his fitness levels are down, but why bring on two midfielders when you have a presumably fit, player of the year, top line defender sitting on the bench. Was Skipp a better bet than Vertonghen in the circumstances.

Pretty standard that at that stage of a game that you bring on a midfielder to protect your defence.

 

[mpickard2087]

I can understand leaving a player out if his fitness levels are down, but why bring on two midfielders when you have a presumably fit, player of the year, top line defender sitting on the bench. Was Skipp a better bet than Vertonghen in the circumstances.

Because as I said previously, it's all part of the test. Poch obviously wasn't happy with Vertonghen's application in pre-season, let's assume he's come into training this week for two or three days and knuckled down. It would be too easy to throw him back in the team, starting or as a sub.

I'd imagine it was very deliberate and Poch wants to see what the reaction is, no player will be happy to be on the bench and not come on but is Jan going to sulk and lose heart, or will he back in training again today showing that hunger and drive to get back in the team?

It makes an example of him and shows the squad they have to keep focused and working hard and what the consequences are if they don't. It also rewards those who have put in the work and impressed - Skipp was one of our best players in pre-season, so deserved minutes over Vertonghen or Dier - and so also offers encouragement to those on the fringes of the squad to keep working hard.

 

[ardiles]

Jan is one of the longest serving, most experienced and best players in the squad.

He has now been coached under Poch for more than 5 years and should have known poch’s Minimum fitness standards for games by now.

If Jan was not up to the standard fitness levels that Poch demands, then I think it was the right decision to drop him, even if only as a msg to all the new boys and the younger players in the current squad.

However if that was the reason that he was dropped, then I think that he has been ‘punished’ enough and should be given a starting berth in our next match.

 

[james Stock]

Because as I said previously, it's all part of the test. Poch obviously wasn't happy with Vertonghen's application in pre-season, let's assume he's come into training this week for two or three days and knuckled down. It would be too easy to throw him back in the team, starting or as a sub.

I'd imagine it was very deliberate and Poch wants to see what the reaction is, no player will be happy to be on the bench and not come on but is Jan going to sulk and lose heart, or will he back in training again today showing that hunger and drive to get back in the team?

It makes an example of him and shows the squad they have to keep focused and working hard and what the consequences are if they don't. It also rewards those who have put in the work and impressed - Skipp was one of our best players in pre-season, so deserved minutes over Vertonghen or Dier - and so also offers encouragement to those on the fringes of the squad to keep working hard.

Like Rose who played no part in pre season, and was reportedly trying to sign for Watford. The move to drop Jan was always on the cards when he played just 45 mins in tandem with Toby in per season. Ninety mins against Villa at home could not be that taxing, he had completed a full pre season

 

[mpickard2087]

Like Rose who played no part in pre season, and was reportedly trying to sign for Watford. The move to drop Jan was always on the cards when he played just 45 mins in tandem with Toby in per season. Ninety mins against Villa at home could not be that taxing, he had completed a full pre season

Rose played some of pre-season and has obviously applied himself to Poch's satisfaction, I think the club are looking at moving him on if they can, for economic/value reasons, as much as the player himself wants to leave.

Vertonghen hasn't and so has been punished, why would he start against Villa under those circumstances?

 

[pedrodelawasp]

Could this be a case of Poch wanting to save his best CB for another game without stating publicly “I’m saving him for City and it’s not so risky to give Davinson some time against Villa”?

Guess not!

 

[Gareth88]

My original post was supposed to say Jan with the black eye, may be the reason for his absence?

 

[wirE]

Interesting read; https://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/na...ettino-team-selections-tottenham-not-charity/

We the fans, will never be satisfied with the gaffer’s choices when picking the team

 

[yankspurs]

Interesting read; https://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/na...ettino-team-selections-tottenham-not-charity/

We the fans, will never be satisfied with the gaffer’s choices when picking the team

We aren't a charity? There are times i beg to differ

 

[philosospur91]

We got to the bottom of it. He was annoyed at journalists keeping on asking him about transfers and contracts when he had told them many time previously that he doesn't deal with them. Poch has never liked press conferences. If it wasn't for levy he'd still be pretending to not be able to speak english.

Completely agree with this. The questions the journalists ask in the press conferences are so unbelievably banal and stupid that its no wonder they put Poch in a bad mood and he doesn't want to really engage or say anything substantial in them other than to use them to leverage his position with the board when he feels that's necessary. You can debate whether or not that is the right approach and what it might say about his feelings about the situation with the club, but there's no point reading anything into his moods in press conferences on a more general level.

 

[Peters]

Rose played some of pre-season and has obviously applied himself to Poch's satisfaction, I think the club are looking at moving him on if they can, for economic/value reasons, as much as the player himself wants to leave.

Vertonghen hasn't and so has been punished, why would he start against Villa under those circumstances?

Perhaps the Rose potential exit and Vertonghen's rest from the match day squad are linked.

Vertonghen has experience for Belgium at left back and was man of the match for us against Dortmund in that role. With Davies out, Jan would be a natural alternative to Rose. It could be that Jan's "lack of fitness" relates to an unwillingness to play the more physically demanding role.

 

[@Bobby__Lucky]

I'm just going to put this out there...

My take on this is that Poch and the management are slightly concerned about Jan's long term fitness, hence why we haven't offered him another contract. If this is the case it would make perfect sense for them to have rested him for a game against Villa (which let's be honest, we should have won at a canter) in favour of a huge game against City.

As others have said, I think this can be turned in to something if he doesn't play against City. If he does it's exactly what I've mentioned above.

Poch has previously said that Jan is so fit he can play till 37 or similar.

 

[Everlasting Seconds]

Jan is one of our best forget role on the pitch but one of our top 5 players period. Him not playing is weird, and I think it is OK to say it is weird without having to play some PC crap about how there is certainly nothing to cover up.

 

[@Bobby__Lucky]

Perhaps the Rose potential exit and Vertonghen's rest from the match day squad are linked.

Vertonghen has experience for Belgium at left back and was man of the match for us against Dortmund in that role. With Davies out, Jan would be a natural alternative to Rose. It could be that Jan's "lack of fitness" relates to an unwillingness to play the more physically demanding role.

Perhaps his position could be a reason. However whilst he is an exceptional footballer and is probably our best left back he is also our best CB. I would back him feeling aggrieved if he is pushed out to LB to accommodate Sanchez. Although sanchez probably deserving of his place. It would be probably be more appropriate for Toby to be pushed to right back given his contract issues.

He allegedly refused a move to arsenal the year before he joined us because wenger wanted him to play midfield. All being said its clear what an all round baller Jan is as he could probably shine in LB LW DM CM and of course CB.