Super Jan: How Vertonghen excelled in unfavoured role at Everton

Jan Vertonghen put in another fantastic display for Tottenham

Jan Vertonghen praised Tottenham Hotspur’s performance after their 0-0 draw with Everton, but admitted they must win the big games to stay in touch at the top of the Premier League.

“I think in the first half we were the better team and had to score. There were not a lot of chances but [we had] more possession,” the Belgian told Sky Sports.

“A point is okay but of course there are a lot of other teams at the top who keep winning so we have to see if we can win those big games as well.”

The Belgian may have praised his team-mates, but it was the former Ajax man himself who once again proved the key player for Spurs as they kept a clean sheet at Goodison Park. Whilst he fulfilled his defensive duties at left-back, he also made a huge contribution for Spurs in attack, albeit to no avail.

Vertonghen has been ever present for Tottenham this season, having featured in all ten of their opening Premier League fixtures. With a performance score of 278 points, the 26-year-old is currently outplaying all the club’s big-money summer signings.

His performance versus Everton was typical of his usual style of play. Vertonghen was a major attacking threat surging forward from left-back and in the first half he even had a penalty shout turned down. He created three chances for the club, more than any other player on the field, and with a passing accuracy of 76% he played an important role for Spurs in terms of moving the ball forward.

Defensively he put in a fantastic shift. With an 89% success rate in all his duels, it’s fair to say he barely put a foot wrong. Having completed 100% of his tackles and attempted headers, his contribution at the back was hard to fault. Although he didn’t make as much as a contribution in defence as the rest of the Spurs back four, his presence in defence was clearly beneficial to the team.

We have to consider Vertonghen’s favoured position is in a more central defensive role. This season he has featured just three times at left-back, covering for the injured Danny Rose. With this in mind, his performance against Everton seems even more impressive – versatility is clearly another aspect of his overall game.

Whilst Tottenham have struggled in attack for the majority of the current season, their strength in defence is hard to question. Vertonghen’s contribution has been influential this campaign and his performance in Spur’s most recent fixture is a fantastic example of this.