Why Vertonghen Is the Unsung Hero for Tottenham Hotspur so Far in 2014-15 Season

Tottenham Hotspur's defence is still a work in progress as we approach the midway point of the 2014-15 season.

That much was evident at White Hart Lane this past Saturday in a good but not faultless display in the 2-1 win over Burnley.

Tottenham were beaten once from long range by Clarets attacker Ashley Barnes, while his team-mate Danny Ings got in behind them a couple of times more than they would have liked.

On the other hand, Federico Fazio was typically dominant aerially, and the visitors' attempts to penetrate the Spurs box in more squeezed-up situations were often stymied by Jan Vertonghen at his most diligent.

Vertonghen's contributions to the win went unheralded compared to others such as scorers Harry Kane and Erik Lamela, the vibrant Christian Eriksen and the brilliant Hugo Lloris.

But the 27-year-old's assured presence at the back was important—as it has been throughout a campaign in which it could be argued he has been his team's unsung hero.

Anyone who has watched Spurs with any regularity will know getting to the point of such a declaration has not been a smooth process for Vertonghen.

The World Cup went well for him individually (his included a match-winning goal against South Korea, as seen above), though he suffered disappointment when Belgium were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Argentina. The downside of any post-group-stage exit is a shortened pre-season for players plying their trade in Europe.

That went double for Vertonghen this past summer as a new head coach had been appointed in north London—Mauricio Pochettino. The Belgian was one of several Spurs men to miss out on the early chance to impress and familiarise themselves with the new boss' methods and the doctrine he wanted to establish.

It contributed to a stuttering start to the season for Spurs. The staggered returns of existing players and the arrival of new signings meant a trial-and-error approach to team selection ensued as Pochettino attempted to establish what worked.

As it applied to central defence, Vertonghen was the one dropped for a number of Premier League games (though he was injured for a small spell in September)—the newly appointed captain Younes Kaboul was preferred as the position's bedrock.

The decision not to elect Vertonghen as captain or one of the vice-captains coincided with the latest burst of speculation about his contract status. The player said he was content and in no hurry to sign a new deal with four years remaining on his current one, as per Press Association (via the Guardian). Coupled with the intermittent playing time, it did not paint the rosiest of pictures.

Yet, amid all of this, Vertonghen was still involved in several of Spurs' better early season performances.

After the 1-0 home loss to West Bromwich Albion in which a nervy Vlad Chiriches flattered to deceive alongside Kaboul, Vertonghen was restored for the north London derby. He and the Spurs skipper performed admirably as the team recorded its first point off Arsenal in two seasons in a respectable 1-1 draw.

Vertonghen again played smartly and with discipline in the subsequent 1-0 win over in-form Southampton (at that point Spurs' best win of the campaign).

It made it all the more baffling when he was dropped for Manchester City away. In and out of the team for the next few weeks, his own form suffered, notably in the home loss to Newcastle United when Ayoze Perez went unchecked by him to score the Magpies' winner.

Tottenham's improved defensive work over the last month has been in response to that period.

Paired together in the wake of the 2-1 loss to Stoke City on November 9, the Fazio/Vertonghen partnership has started every domestic contest since then. The previous uncertainty about Tottenham in their own penalty area has become less of a concern with the same centre-backs playing game by game.

Established initially in the cup matches they played together, their fledgling understanding has taken hold over successive league games versus a variety of opponents.

Vertonghen recently outlined the benefits of it in an interview with Tottenham & Wood Green Journal's Ben Pearce.

He is a beast in the air and I’m less strong in the air than him, but we compensate for each other in that way. I think we’re doing quite well at the moment. 

We talk a lot—he speaks English very well—and I think it’s good for centre-backs to play together for a while. Whether it’s with Younes or Vlad or Eric Dier, it doesn’t really matter but you need to adapt a bit. You have to adapt and know what the other one’s going to do. I don’t think centre-backs need as much rest as others, it’s different.

Fazio has settled well after a few months in England. He has also undoubtedly benefited from Vertonghen's presence besides him and knowing he is there to cover more often than not.

Of course, Vertonghen has not been perfect. He was torched by Loic Remy for the third goal of the 3-0 defeat to Chelsea. A couple of weeks ago he and Fazio allowed Swansea City striker Wilfried Bony far too much room to operate.

Mostly, though, Vertonghen has been good enough in helping lay a crucial foundation for the rest of his team to build on further forward. Despite the troubles with Bony, he played his part in keeping it square before Eriksen's winner. It followed steady work against Everton and Crystal Palace, and after came fine outings in the Newcastle and Burnley wins last week.

Perhaps Pochettino's early-season experimentation was necessary. Maybe he finally realised his defence desperately required some consistency.

Either way, with full-back pair Ben Davies and Kyle Walker either side of the aforementioned centre-backs, there is a settled feel finally beginning to take hold in the Tottenham defence. With two-and-a-half years in England to his name, the experienced Vertonghen is the glue holding it together.

Should he help lead Tottenham to decent returns from remaining Christmas/New Year fixtures against Leicester City, Manchester United and Chelsea, he will move from the ranks of the unsung to the widely recognised soon enough.