Last week, Jan Vertonghen gave an interview that perked up the ears of a few Arsenal fans.
Hey, The Mirror even gave it the following title: “Vertonghen warns Arsenal that Spurs will be bigger and stronger after Bale exit”.
Whilst there’s little in his comments that come across as a direct challenge for Arsenal, the fact that it came a few days before the North London Derby was telling.
Some choice quotes are as follows: “I think it is going to be bruising playing Spurs this season…” and, “And the new players have just so much power.“
Whilst new signings like Nacer Chadli, Paulinho and Etienne Capoue are all tall, physically imposing players, it doesn’t follow that they will make Tottenham stronger as a whole. Indeed, given what we’ve seen so far, I’m not sure how big an impact Chadli and Capoue will have this year.
Gareth Bale is a one-in-a-million player. His loss will be felt at White Hart Lane, regardless of how many players the club brings in to attempt to plug the gap.
His absence was certainly felt during the club’s 1-0 defeat at the hands of Arsenal. Indeed, this result made of mockery of some of Vertonghen’s comments.
Tottenham worked hard, fizzed the ball about as well as they could and occasionally got into dangerous positions. But it wasn’t enough. It was Arsenal who provided all the incision and created the best chances. Some of the Gunners interplay in tight positions was a joy to watch.
It was a good team performance from Arsenal. It may take a while for this Spurs team to produce similar displays.
It hasn’t helped that some pundits were tipping Spurs for the title this season. Ambition is all well and good, but let’s not pile too much pressure on this new look Tottenham team.
Let’s close with these final comments from Vertonghen: “We are one year older all of us, we have a little more experience, and I think we know a bit more how to win.”
This may be true, but Spurs still have a long way to go. With so many new players at White Hart Lane, it’s going to take a while for them to gel together. I’m not sure they’re a stronger unit than they were last year, not yet anyway.
What’s your take? Were Vertonghen’s comments badly judged, or will they be proven right over the course of the next year?
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Always funny when the tiny totts set their expectations high, they’re even more depressed than usual when it all goes wrong.
All gone wrong? we lose one game narrowly by one goal with none of our creative players settled or playing and you say its ‘all gone wrong’? haha heres my definition of all gone wrong:
Going a whole season unbeaten, getting a nice new big stadium………..a decade later you’re making 4th by the skin of your teeth.
All gone wrong.
Atleast tottenham have been improving over the last couple of years
£109m spent to finish 6th! You can’t make it up folks!
How can you spend £109m and not buy one World class player???
No-one in Europe wanted Soldado, a slow lazy striker who needs the kind of service that no-one in the spurs team can give.
Paulinho the new Lampard? No, he’s the new Palacios!
Capoue is Sandro lite (so why buy him) and the less said about Chadli the better.
The only saving grace could be Eriksen – but a lot of teams looked at him over the last 2 years, but no big club went in for him. There must be a reason for that.
Their one World Class player is Lloris, terrific keeper who will be needed a lot this season. without him, Arsenal would’ve scored 4 or 5.
But seriously, if a club spends £109m on players they should be winning the title like Chelsea & City did when they went spending like that. But Spurs are fighting Liverpool for 5th. And will probably fail.
Paulnho is world class. Capoe is ofcourse there because we need backup in that position. It seems you dont have the basic knowledge of running a football team. Capoe btw had the most interceptions of all players in the pl the second round.
Yes, lets win the title and ofc beat a team where every player knows eachother and our players are not even on firstname basis. Either you are ignorant, or just plain jealous that ypur club did not bring any players.
What do you mean to finish 6th? THERE’S ONLY 3 GAMES GONE YOU MORON! and im sick of idiots like you saying we have spent £109m. No. We have spent less than £10m you mini-brained imbecile. We have sold over £100m worth of players. We have spent a lot less than you.
But seriously, if a club goes a whole season unbeaten and then moves to a new big stadium, they should be dominating club football………
…………scrapping for 4th every season and no trophies for a decade LOL
Arsenal spent way more than spurs. You need to consider our sales income as well.
You were backs to the wall for the majority of the game! I am not the slightest bit concerned about Spurs this season. 3 or 4 more games and it will all click together nicely.
Eriksen is already at a similar level to Modric when he was at Spurs and will get better and better, you lot make me laugh. You make one signing in Ozil and now you’re all raving about your “great side”!
Funny, it was all doom and gloom 3 days ago. Ozil comes in and you beat Tottenham by employing your Bolton tactics (parking the bus) and suddenly you’re all mouth again.
Muggy club, can’t wait til the end of the season and you’re all screwing at Wenger for buying Ozil, a player of undoubted class but in the only position you didn’t need reinforcements!
As far as our end of season wobble goes. We have always had a fabulousfirst 11, now we have depth and quality in reserve in every position. Every player in our midfield is interchangeable as is our back 4. You dismiss the signing or Erik Lamela but he will show everyone this year why he has just cost £30m.absolute quality, the more he plays, the better he will get.
Spurs won’t wim the title this season but top 3 is my prediction.
COYS!!!
That is a really stupid assessment. I don’t know what team you support but the only reason why you are writing this nonsense is because you are actually scared at what Tottenham could do. Lloris is world class, Vertoghen is world class- you are not in the PFA team of the year for no reason, Paulinho and Sandro are both starters for their national team- Paulinho was named as the 3rd best player at the confederations cup which had players like Cavani, Suarez, Xavi etc all playing. Christian Erikson and Erik Lamela are 2 of the best talents in World football and both have so much time to improve, Soldado has scored over 20 goals in his last 3 seasons and is world class, you know nothing about Tottenham. I do think Tottenham are a much better and stronger team and you cannot judge us on one performance against an Arsenal side who were playing on the break at home and were acting as if this game was make or break. We are going to take time to gel but when we do gel, it’s going to take more than Ozil who is a wonderful player to stop us. Arsenal had a better team last season with Tottenham relying on Bale, it seems this year the roles will be reversed.
ofcourse we are a stronger team we have signed 7 international players ? how can that result in not being stronger, and how can you possibly say capoue doesnt look good, have you actually watched a spurs game because he looks like one of the best signing’s so far, hes a better version of parker, as we have now more strength in depth aswel asoon as we gel we can compete in all competitions without fatigue
Difference being we actually ‘spent’ nothing in this window and turned a profit we will see whether we have emulated the goons over the past couple of years swapping world class for good or whether the gambles on Lamela, Erikson etc pay off once they settle
Levy for me messed up over the last two seasons by not getting the players in particular strikers to support bale. WE could have been in the champions league by now and still had bale. Without bale we are not a stronger team IMO. He is irreplaceable. If Spurs had true ambition they would have shown this earlier on. Spurs are still in profit, so if Bale had not left how much money do you think they would have spent?????? Furthermore AVB may have left had they not given him all the sales revenue to spend.
AVB looks and sounds depressed. I think he knows without his key player he will not be saved this year should he screw up with this expensive team. Further more we will be watching football more boring than Stoke city.
Levy has screwed up big time,and is no genius in my eyes he has balanced the books and done his usual job. I await the new manager who plays the spurs way and the talents of lamelle erikson and carroll will be a joy to watch.
Spurs have many times shown that they are a shadow of Arsenal… Won’t say much but let us see how Arsenal will once again give thhem those bitter feelings at the end of the season… COYA!!!
Once again arsenalfans only care about spurs, since they atleast are improving:)
10 year progress:
Tottenham: gone from mid table mediocrity to challenging for a top 4 spot every season.
Arsenal: gone from winning EPL 38 games unbeaten to challenging for top 4 every season.
Spurs on the up, Arsenal sinking. That is how it has been for years and sooner rather than later Spurs will finally get their reward.
I think the result was a perfect answer to spurs mouthpiece…. vertoghen.
Tottenham has made huge strides in the quality of their team, but it will take a little bit of time before the team fully gels. If you look at the Arsenal game, Totternham didn’t have Eriksen (who I think is the key signing), Lamela, or Chirches in their starting eleven. Put those three in place of Dawson, Townsend, and Dembele and the Spurs are a vastly different team. Even though they had the higher % of possession they didn’t have that bit of creativity that Eriksen and Lamela would have given them.
I predict a top 4 finish this year with a run at the title next year with one or two more pieces to the puzzle. The key piece is Eriksen who will be the steal of the year. It will show that Arsenal over paid 30 million for a older version of Eriksen.
One signing. One win (fulham doesnt count) and you woolwich boys got done by VILLA by three goals. Go and masturbate together on another site goons. Jenkinson. Schezney. Gibbs. Ramsey. These players are crap. Your squad is about as good as stokes. 7th for the south london gypsys. ARSEnil
yea.. Fulham plays in the Hungarian league. You idiots lost your last match against Fulham LOL.
To be fair, you’re chatting shit. Im a Spurs fan and their squad is not shit. Ramsey is quality, back to the player he looked when they first signed him. Szcezney is average and Jenkinson is decent but Gibbs has all the ability to become as good as Ashley Cole. Very good player. Spurs will be a force when the side clicks. Take into consideration that Paulinho, Chadli, Soldado and Capoue have all played less than 10 games between them for Spurs. Takes time to find form. Anyone remember Modric’s debut campaign? Or the first 4 years of Bale’s Spurs career? Thierry Henry’s first season in England?
My point is, sometimes even the greatest players take time to settle into new surroundings, new league, new club, new style.
Spurs will be fine this year,
A R S Enal. WHAT A NAME FOR A CLUB.
Stu – does your mummy know you’re using her computer?
There is no doubt in my mind that after watching our second half display against Arsenal last Sunday it seems fairly obvious that Spurs have a very powerful squad of players. A good part of the team were new players who though they remember their skills have yet still to get to understand each other as a team. This will come and it certainly does not help when people expect too much too soon. lt will get better as it goes along. They have confidence and this will grow even more as the season develops.Give them a bit of time everybody.
I love Spurs lose 1-0 away from home to a team that lost once in six months and its a disaster! The two attacking players bought to replace Bale have yet to play/played 15 minutes. We are 3 games with half a brand new first team. Of course Arsenal are going to be stronger, your first team is very, very good improved immeasurabley by Ozil. But let’s see what happens when Giroud gets tired or you start having to play Walcott in defence because you have a weak squad. Wenger is a legend of the game, but where he once represented the future he now symbolises the past. In AVB we trust.
tottenham hotshit what a great name. 109 mill we just bought ozil whos better than all the rubbish that spuds have bought.
Tottenham strong deep squad of exceptionally talented international footballers has not fully clicked yet when they gel which will be in 5 games you will see what 100m gets you. Which by the way was completely offset against the bale sale not by some Arab / American / Russian soulless benefactor that wants to play his fantasy football games in 3D! It is only natural arsenals players would have a better team understanding as they haven’t really changed their personnel since last season. Tottenham went to the emirates matched arsenal statistically in every category except the 1 goal u managed and the possession of which tottenham dominated with 63% all of this from a team who bought 9 new first team players. Also the fact out most creative players Lamela & Erikssen were not involved from the start of the match with only Lamela getting a 10 min run out and Erikssen not being registered in time, imagine when these play and Soldado will get service and not be so isolated, the team against arsenal did not get beat by a big margin and was unbalanced. I would not judge or right tottenham off after one narrow away loss with lots of new players.
come on you Spurs !
Spurs have been in transition since 1961.
No titles, 52 years = small club.
History is history. This now. And right now as of last seasons table you are 1 point better than us. If we are small then you are small.
Quite frankly as an Arsenal fan I’m amazed at your surprise at Vertonghen’s comments. What did you expect him to say .”We are screwed without Bale”? In the same vein, some of the comments are a bit reactionary. Tottenham didn’t spend 109M net but rather closer to 35M , getting six quality players who will require some time to gel. Arsenal kept all their players from last season and we played them at the Emirates at a perfect time, and only managed to win by a single goal( granted it could’ve been more). Considering the Spurs were missing their second most dangerous player in Lennon, they didn’t look too bad .They had the majority of possession and made the last 10 minutes very nervy for us . It would be a mistake to dismiss them as top four contenders.
we spent 109m and sold over 100m worth of players. Bale, Caulker, Huddlestone, Dempsey, Parker. So we spent less than 10m.
Jo You talk shit from a biased point of view you know if you signed any of these players you would be commenting on every site about how amazing they are ,thats what hype fans do.Arsenal were winning stuff in the early 2000s so your gonna have more fans who dont know what the fuck their talking about who jumped on the bandwagon and you cant just jump off but know fuck all about football.Fair play to Arsenal they won this game and actually showed some character to pull it of too. but we’re gonna have to see how the teams progress over the next few months if your over the age of 15 its to early to start chatting shit .
To be fair, Jo was probably still living in Nigeria in 2003 mate. Hadn’t managed to save up enough money to move to London yet.
52 years no title is fact.
You lot saying you’re a big club is fiction!
And did you hear the mouth on all your fans this summer?
And what happened? An Arsenal team without new signings and decimated by injuries beat your expensive flops with ease. Again! And you still haven’t scored in open play. Two undeserved penalties to squeak past the mighty Palace & Swansea.
Too F***ing Funny.
It’s always ‘wait till the end of season’ with you guys, and every end of season is the same story. Dream on Bob, you deluded toad!
Why were those penalties undeserved? they were blatant, and at least we won those games unlike being beaten easily at home to a side like Villa. LOL. Then you get a nervy 1-0 against us and you suddenly think you are world beaters. Pathetic.
God you arsenal fans make me laugh. Jo ur an idiot with very little knowledge. Let’s compare teams shall we. Lloris far better than that flappy pole you have. Walker makes sagna look silly, vertonghen and kaboul miles better than anything at arsenal. Gibbs prob better than rose. On to midfield, the only arsenal players that would get in spurs team is Ozil and cazorla. Wlshire over rated and injury prone, walcot is pure pants, rosicky totally useless, flamini poor, arteta slow and injury prone. As for up front giroud has scored a few recently but will soon go back to being a donkey. Podolski also a German failure. Soldado is a goalscorer! We have Lamela, eriksen, paulinho all top players. As for capoue the boy is immense. Arsenal bid in Jan so Canf be that bad. So in conclusion you may have signed a gem in Ozil but.you’re squad is weak. When spurs gel we will be amazing
As a Spurs fan, I am disappointed with this transfer window. I believe the money spent on Chadli, Capoue and Paulinho was a complete waste. These players are mediocre and not the kind of players required for the team.
AVB has already wasted money on Sigurdsson, Dembele and Dempsey who are also poor signings. And I haven’t even mentioned the purchase of Adebayor.
Now AVB has let Carroll go to the championship even though he is in a different class to the players just mentioned.
The Spurs team should be based around quality – Carroll, Eriksen, Holtby and Lamela, not these other players who should be playing for lesser teams.
arsenal,s speed was a problem for spurs.thisteam has been playing together for two years.our interplay has improved.ay this point i think chelsea is the only ieam we would have problems with.oscar,hazard have a good understanding.
So Arsenal have finally managed their first trophy for some time…..or so you’d think reading all the blogs today; of course I refer to the signing of Mezut Ozil.
About a week ago I listened to the endless calls in to Talksport by goons bitching and moaning about the lack of transfer activity and how Wenger had lost the plot; basically they were saying you needed an entire spine to the side….these are comments from Goons, not mine. You really can’t make up the stories these days about how fickle Arsenal fans are, and that used to be a trait levelled at Spurs.
Most of my friends are goons and time and time again I’d say to them that they really didn’t give Wenger the credit he deserved. Now it appears he is God again because you’ve managed a marquee signing; lets not forget that “World Class” players of higher value have failed miserably in the EPL (yes I’m referring to Torres, which is what happens when you spend big money sometimes; it doesn’t always end in success, certainly not for the player anyway and not always instantly).
Personally I think Ozil is a great signature but one wonders (given the goals/assists at Madrid) why they let him go. Of course there’s the money to recoup from Bale but why not sell Modric instead (agreed for less before you say it)? Seems to me he was the more favoured option for RM in the end.
Wenger will most likely get the best out of Ozil but I wonder how it will upset the balance of your team or who will miss out when he plays. I still think you needed other players before the deadline to give you strength in depth; Talksport have your pre-season dealings down as a failure still!!
Finally, will Ozil fit in straight away, or will we be talking about him being an expensive flop if he hasn’t slotted in after 2 games? No doubt your Arsenal fans will let him know your feelings the first minute you get a chance by booing the team as the first sign of a loss at home.