Tottenham Hotspur defender Jan Vertonghen wasn’t at his best on Sunday.
Tottenham Hotspur star Jan Vertonghen struggled to get to grips with Swansea City strikers Andre Ayew and Bafetimbi Gomis as his side drew 2-2 at the Liberty Stadium.
The Spurs centre-back has had a testing time in the opening stages of the season, forming and improving new partnerships with fellow players Toby Alderweireld and Ben Davies.
On Sunday, after a hard-fought draw in Monaco on Thursday, Mauricio Pochettino’s men were up against it against an impressive Swansea side boasting a frontline with plenty of skill and movement.
The Argentine coach would have asked his players to keep it tight in the early stages and win their battles, yet the hosts’ opening goal illustrated everything Pochettinho wouldn’t have wanted.
| Def Duels Won | Def Duels Lost | Aerial Duels Won | Aerial Duels Lost | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan Vertonghen | 5 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 90 |
As per the table provided by Opta, Vertonghen’s testing afternoon can be shown by his inability to get the better of his opponents in key aerial and sweeper duels.
Standing at 6ft 2inch, the Belgian international isn’t exactly a small centre-back in stature and has height advantage over both Gomis (6ft ½ inch) and Ayew (5ft 9inch).
However, Vertonghen managed just one aerial winner in six battles while he also lost out in defensive duels along the floor, alarming statistics for a supposedly dominant centre-back.
| Def Duels Won | Def Duels Lost | Aerial Duels Won | Aerial Duels Lost | Appearances | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan Vertonghen | 42 | 20 | 17 | 12 | 8 |
As shown by the following table provided by Opta, Vertonghen for the most part this season has got the better of his opponents and his partnership with Alderweireld is growing stronger with each passing week.
The former Ajax man is only human and can be afforded a rough day at the office every once in a while.
With just seven goals conceded in their opening eight matches, Spurs boast one of the meanest defences in the Premier League to date.
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