Remember, remember the hell of November
Vertonghen’s bitter memories
JAN VERTONGHEN believes one month of hell has put the skids under Spurs’ season.
Twelve months ago, the Belgium international insisted it was results away from home against the club’s main Premier League rivals that was the problem.
But this time out he says that one inconsistent spell – which stretched through November – has cost Mauricio Pochettino (right) & Co a genuine crack at the title.
Spurs picked up just two points against other top-six sides away from White Hart Lane last season.
But this time around a barren November left them playing catch up.
Vertonghen said: “We’ve improved those results against our rivals – we have beaten Chelsea and dominated pretty much everyone else apart from Manchester City.
“Having said that Arsenal away and Manchester United away weren’t our best – but we can beat everyone now – home or away.
“But we always seem to have one month where we haven’t won games in a row. This year it started in October.
“When you have a team winning every week like Man City it’s going to be hard.
“I do think we have taken huge steps. It was a challenge playing with Wembley as our home and I think we have coped well. We need to solve that inconsistency. To get rid of that month that costs us.
“But with this group of players we can improve. I think we showed in the Champions League how good we can be – especially against Real Madrid – and away against Dortmund.
“There were a couple of games like this. We can compete with anyone in the world – but the case is now not to do it for one or two games – but consistently for 10 or 11 months and we’ll be up there.”
Choking
Vertonghen drew comparison with his previous club, Ajax, when asked about the team choking.
Spurs dominated against United until Alexis Sanchez’s equaliser at Wembley and he insists that once the trophy duck is broken that more will follow.
The centre-back added: “At Ajax, the pressure was massive. You had to be winning a trophy every year – we hadn’t won one for five years. Then we won a cup and everyone started believing we could win the league.
“Then we won it again. It’s difficult to pinpoint but I feel if you can win a trophy and you have that confidence.. you just need to win one and then you can win more.
“The first one is always the hardest one to win.”
Speculation will be rife, following yet another campaign without any silverware, that several players will be deemed surplus.
But Vertonghen maintains that quality additions – such as Davinson Sanchez and Serge Aurier – will improve Pochettino’s hand.
He said: “I think the core of this team will stay together.
“Every year there are changes but if you pick one or two exceptional players they will fit in. Look at Davinson, Serge Aurier – both have had a great season.
“Lucas [Moura] came in January too and he has been good for us. But Davinson has had a massive season.
“The amount of games he’s played, the level he’s played at, they’re very impressive. He’s keeping that level in training and in games.”