When I first dabbled in the idea of starting a football/sports blog, the concept of where to start felt alien. There were so many thoughts swimming around in my head, but there was only one idea of any real clarity. The sole idea, was focused on only one person, one player, who in my mind has always been somewhat of an ‘unsung hero’. I only felt passionate enough to start writing about one player without any real planning and that was Jan Vertonghen.
However, in more recent months, Jan has fallen out of favour with both current manager Jose Mourinho and ex-manager Mauricio Pochettino. I therefore felt my writing wouldn’t have much of an impact, but seeing the news this week, that Jan is set to leave the club on a free transfer, I couldn’t help but think that I needed to express what a profound impact I believe Jan has had on Tottenham Hotspur.
Joining Spurs in July 2012, Jan has served a faithful eight years. He was immediately successful. In his first season in the Premier League, he proved his €12 million fee worthwhile by making the PFA’s Team of the Year. He was selected alongside Rio Ferdinand, Leighton Baines and Pablo Zabaleta which only highlighted his strength and importance as the rock in the heart of the Spurs defence. Vertonghen’s reliability and reading of the game bought immediate stability to the Tottenham back line which continued to flourish under Jan’s influence over the next few seasons. This development seeing him captain Tottenham in the 2015 League Cup Final against Chelsea.
Although the accolades and praise in more recent months have been lesser thrown his way, it is important to remember how pivotal Vertonghen’s role at Spurs has been. He has an ability to read the game in a way that I could only compare to Liverpool’s Virgil Van Dijk. Although Jan’s physicality is not directly comparable to Virgil’s, his reliability and vision are. Now others may say this is too dramatic a statement considering the plaudits and trophies more recently associated with Van Dijk, but nevertheless, it is one I believe to be true. You only need to watch a game from Tottenham’s more recent past to see how influential Jan has been for the club. If Jan had been playing regularly over the past two seasons and was still at his Premier League ‘peek’, I would have happily declared that Vertonghen and Van Dijk would make an impenetrable pairing; the best two centre-backs in the Premier League.
In the 2015/16 season, the signing of fellow Belgian, Toby Alderweireld only made Tottenham stronger as the two centre backs developed a crucial bond supporting goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. The statistics over the next couple of seasons spoke for themselves. Tottenham had the joint-lowest number of goals conceded in the Premier League in the 15/16 season, before the pair helped to break a club record in the following season (2016/17) for the fewest goals conceded in the league.
Whilst consistently strong since 2012 (disregarding his more recent performances out of position this year) there is a particular performance of Jan’s which should be remembered for the sheer magnitude of his contribution to the team. The game? Tottenham Hotspur 3 – 0 Borussia Dortmund on the 13th February 2019. With Alderweireld, Davinson Sanchez, Juan Foyth and Serge Aurier all playing at the back too, the freedom Vertonghen was given to push forward was something of a revelation. If you haven’t watched the highlights before, do it now (link below). If you have watched the highlights before, watch it again. This time focus on Vertonghen and the vast impact he had on the outcome of the game. Ignoring one largely wayward shot into the crowd, understand his impact on the game. Pause the video at randomly selected intervals and notice Vertonghen’s position, notice how high up the pitch he his, notice his runs and notice his passion for the club. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFGPhEayi3I
The Borussia Dortmund game last February not only epitomises the talent Vertonghen has bought to Spurs in his eight year spell, but also his commitment to the game too.
“WE’VE HAD SOME GREAT NIGHTS AT WEMBLEY AND AT THE LANE, SOME AWAY GAMES AS WELL – I’D SAY IT’S IN MY TOP THREE”
– Jan Vertonghen, Sun 17 February 2019, 15:27 – http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news
When I first attempted to write my piece on Vertonghen I focused on that game. The game in which his talent blew me away, left me awestruck. The game that only increased my admiration for him as a player. This is a small piece of how my draft was left: “Vertonghen was played out on the left, whipping in scintillating crosses and making phenomenal runs through the middle. Runs that we have come to expect from experienced, middle-of-the-park wizards like Coutinho and Hazard. But runs we expect from our stable, consistent centre halves? Not often”. Proving to be a man of many talents, was what left me in awe. Vertonghen seemed surprisingly comfortable and surprisingly penetrative going forward for someone played so far out of his usual position. I rated him highly as a centre-back, so to see this phenomenal forward-pressing tenacity left me wondering why Pochettino had rarely utilised this versatility before.
“Rare, have been the moments when he’s allowed to rampage forward like he was […] as a left-wing-back. Mauricio Pochettino may want to consider making him a more regular part of his offence moving forward”.
Bleacher Report Live (@brlive) February 13, 2019
Deep into the Dortmund game pressure continued to allude him, pressing continuously until in the 83rd minute, a powerful volley rippled the net. Serge Aurier had delivered an inch perfect ball for Vertonghen’s beautifully orchestrated run into the box. A goal so rarely seen finished in that way by a centre-back. It was powerful. It was a reflection of the way Jan had played for the entirety of the game. I was amazed, but I also felt cheated. Cheated that this was the first time in his tenure at Tottenham that I had seen him perform in this way. That night he was a world-class-midfield-machine; a newly exposed chameleon.
To remember that game is incredible, but to only remember that game would also be doing Jan a disservice. Although not successful in terms of medals won in his time at Tottenham, Vertonghen’s dedication, desire and drive to be at the top of the game cannot be faulted, he has helped to unify Spurs. He has helped in their development. He has helped to bring back a desire for success. Both fans and players alike look to Jan as someone who has led the fight to reignite the hope at Tottenham Hotspur. Captain Hugo Lloris wished Jan well and stated that Jan’s attitude has been key in the development of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. “He’s the kind of person that gives his best, he left everything on the pitch for the Club and he’s a great example as a team-mate.” This is a player who has proved that hard work, commitment and consistency are intrinsic when developing a great football club into an even greater one. He is proof that attitude is everything. A player that will be sorely missed by fans and fellow players alike.
A loyal player, a dedicated man and an unsung hero: Jan Vertonghen.
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