Ex-Player Watch Player watch: Jan Vertonghen

[Kiedis]

I am so hard right now.

 

[DanielCHillier]

His instagram story is him all alone at the training centre captioned "it's matchday I guess" brought a tear to my eye.

 

[DJS]

His instagram story is him all alone at the training centre captioned "it's matchday I guess" brought a tear to my eye.

 

[SUIYHA]

In his final two seasons at Ajax he scored 18 goals - a superb score for a defender. Then in his first year here he scored six, some of which came from excellent control and finishing that given Adebayor's poor form made me only be half-joking when I started saying we should play him up front instead.

Since October 2013? Zero goals for us. Not one. In any competition. What the hell happened? He had a few pot shots from distance last night that went miles off target. I don't really remember him getting into too many scoring positions lately either.

 

[Kiedis]

Since October 2013? Zero goals for us. Not one. In any competition. What the hell happened? He had a few pot shots from distance last night that went miles off target. I don't really remember him getting into too many scoring positions lately either.

Hid did have that game against Sunderland in 2015 where his deflected show was ruled an own goal, and he got waved offside ten yards into our half before he rolled the back into an empty net with the Sunderland keeper up in our box. But I do agree, Alderweireld gets many shots and headers away after set pieces, and end up scoring quite a bit. If Vertonghen could rediscover some of his goal scoring form, it would really help.

 

[mightyspur]

In his final two seasons at Ajax he scored 18 goals - a superb score for a defender. Then in his first year here he scored six, some of which came from excellent control and finishing that given Adebayor's poor form made me only be half-joking when I started saying we should play him up front instead.

Since October 2013? Zero goals for us. Not one. In any competition. What the hell happened? He had a few pot shots from distance last night that went miles off target. I don't really remember him getting into too many scoring positions lately either.

He was trying his best to impersonate Townsend with some of his efforts last night

 

[SUIYHA]

Hid did have that game against Sunderland in 2015 where his deflected show was ruled an own goal, and he got waved offside ten yards into our half before he rolled the back into an empty net with the Sunderland keeper up in our box. But I do agree, Alderweireld gets many shots and headers away after set pieces, and end up scoring quite a bit. If Vertonghen could rediscover some of his goal scoring form, it would really help.

Forgot about that. Didn't make any difference to the result but that's gotta be one of the worst refereeing decisions in PL history.

If he doesn't score in the next three games he will have gone FOUR YEARS without a Premier League goal. That's getting to Zokora/Freund levels of bad. With CBs going up for set-pieces every game that's pretty inexcusable TBH. It seems like a strange thing to criticise a defender for not scoring, and as a defender he's come on leaps and bounds to become one of the best in the country, but given how prolific he used to be it's an unbelievable turnaround.

 

[thebenjamin]

Thought Vertonghen was fantastic last night. Still bizarrely underrated for what a great player he is.

 

[jonathanhotspur]

In his final two seasons at Ajax he scored 18 goals - a superb score for a defender. Then in his first year here he scored six, some of which came from excellent control and finishing that given Adebayor's poor form made me only be half-joking when I started saying we should play him up front instead.

Since October 2013? Zero goals for us. Not one. In any competition. What the hell happened? He had a few pot shots from distance last night that went miles off target. I don't really remember him getting into too many scoring positions lately either.

I didn't realize it had been so long. Mind you, I am much more concerned with the lack of goals and assists from Dembele.

 

[caspur]

I may be wrong, but I think since the signing of Toby and with Dier or Wanyama offering an aerial threat from DM, Jan hasn't been going up for a lot of the set pieces, which would go some way to explaining his drought.

 

[stonecolddeanaustin]

In his final two seasons at Ajax he scored 18 goals - a superb score for a defender. Then in his first year here he scored six, some of which came from excellent control and finishing that given Adebayor's poor form made me only be half-joking when I started saying we should play him up front instead.

Since October 2013? Zero goals for us. Not one. In any competition. What the hell happened? He had a few pot shots from distance last night that went miles off target. I don't really remember him getting into too many scoring positions lately either.

Just throwing it out there but it could be to do with training. At Ajax I suspect they prefer the total football approach (excuse the dutch stereotype!) so let their defenders take part in shooting drills and the like. Over here, defenders are all about defending so maybe he's lost a bit of his shooting ability as a result. Even if that is the case though he should still be scoring more headers.

 

[Everlasting Seconds]

Thought Vertonghen was fantastic last night. Still bizarrely underrated for what a great player he is.

Agreed. But that seems to have changed a little bit with this last injury spell.

About his lack of goals, I believe that's down to instructions, really. IIRC, he scored a few nice goals and showed off a decent shot ability in his first season with us. But that season, he was free to roam quite a lot, take the ball and goes for it or visit the final third when he felt like it. Since, he has been very restricted, roams not at all and hardly go for a run with the ball him self. I believe Pochettino either is unaware of his attacking abilities or has deemed it more prudent to not utilise it, because he is needed with more constant positional awareness. I'd certainly not suspect that Vertonghen no longer wants to score.

 

[mano-obe]

Hopefully it was just precautionary going off its bad enough Toby going off injured

 

[markiespurs]

Hopefully it was just precautionary going off its bad enough Toby going off injured

Looked precautionary, he did'nt even go down the tunnel when he came off.

Hopefully nothing more than just feeling the effects of 3 games in a week after a bit of time off with injury.

 

[allpaths]

Forgot about that. Didn't make any difference to the result but that's gotta be one of the worst refereeing decisions in PL history.

If he doesn't score in the next three games he will have gone FOUR YEARS without a Premier League goal. That's getting to Zokora/Freund levels of bad. With CBs going up for set-pieces every game that's pretty inexcusable TBH. It seems like a strange thing to criticise a defender for not scoring, and as a defender he's come on leaps and bounds to become one of the best in the country, but given how prolific he used to be it's an unbelievable turnaround.

Part of the problem is that Jan isn't the most athletic (he has a poor leap) or the biggest centerhalf, so I've always felt that he is poor at attacking and defending set pieces. Then the post bale/dim tim season he rightly or wrongly had a horrible attitude and it took him a while to recover to the levels that we have seen this year. Plus for the past 2 years he hasn't been coming into the box and really only the last game against stoke can i remember him being in the box from a corner.
I think as we've seen from Jan and Walker against stoke and at other times in the season, through Toby, Dier and Rose the 3421 formation allows for our defenders to attack space and find themselves in goal scoring opportunities from open play more often. And Im fairly confident that both Jan and Kyle will score before the season ends.

 

[allpaths]

Anybody remember Vertonghen's goal against Swansea has to be one of the best goals a centerhalf has ever scored for this club. Also remember Vertonghen's run at old trafford that was cruelled ruled as an og as well, very harsh, especially looking and Kane's third from the weekend.

 

[wingvaldsen]

Oh how I wish his shot had gone in versus Stoke.

 

[Clark28]

His attacking runs were great yesterday, like the Jan of old.

Made me think, when playing 3atb while Rose is out, Jan could attack and Davies slot into LCB while we are in possession.

 

[Kiedis]

To bad about the slip, seeing as it marred an absolute masterclass from him, both defensively and offensively.

 

[TottenhamMattSpur]

Anyone else think he's either not totally fit or overly concerned about another injury?
Quite a few times in recent matches he's gone over clutching his ankle amd hobbling away.
My hearts in my mouth every time!