Micah Richards hailed Jan Vertonghen for his ‘brilliant’ performance after the Tottenham favourite helped Benfica progress into the quarter-final stages of the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Benfica, after they recorded a 2-2 draw in the first-leg, beat Ajax 1-0 in Amsterdam to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time in six years.
Many would have expected Eric ten Haag’s free-flowing Ajax side to see off the Portuguese giants, but Vertonghen, added with ex-Manchester City defender, Nicolas Otamendi, kept the Dutch champions at bay.
Whilst Tottenham wonder whether they will secure European football next season – they are currently sitting eighth in the Premier League table – Vertonghen is loving life away from the club he thrived at the most.
Nonetheless, it was West Ham, Newcastle and Arsenal-linked, David Nunez, who scored the winning goal yesterday, as Richards was full of praise for Benfica as a whole, as he told CBS Sports (15/03/22 at 10:05 pm).
“Ajax did have a lot of possession,” said Richards. “A lot of chances. But they weren’t really clear cut.
“I thought Otamendi and Vertonghen were brilliant at the back. Then they got their chance, that man Nunez.
“We talked him up. I think that’s his 26th goal in all competitions. They fully deserved it. Ajax didn’t turn up. But Vertonghen and Otamendi were really good at the back.”
It has been nearly two years since Vertonghen has been out of the Tottenham limelight and many fans will feel they haven’t replaced the left-footed defender.
The Belgian built a quite brilliant partnership with Toby Alderweireld at the heart of the club’s defence, but it was probably the last time Spurs fans could rely on their backline to consistently do the business.
Eric Dier has stepped up since both Vertonghen and Alderweireld departed, whilst Cristian Romero is working very well in a back three with the Englishman.
But, as Tottenham have proven this season, Antonio Conte has his work cut out trying to fix an inconsistent and error-prone backline.
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