How can Tottenham cope with Jan Vertonghen’s two-month injury lay-off?

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Tottenham have been the form team of the Premier League during their recent run, which included an impressive victory over league leaders Chelsea. They have changed to a 3-4-2-1 and it has been successful, maintaining their defensive solidarity, while improving their attack in the process. However, they were dealt a blow on Tuesday as it was confirmed Jan Vertonghen would be missing for up to two months. He suffered ligament damage during the side’s win over West Brom at the weekend. Vertonghen has been one of the prominent figures of Spurs’ season and it is a huge blow to lose him. That said, they have able replacements in Kevin Wimmer and Ben Davies, with both players capable of playing in a three-man defence.

Vertonghen is an adaptable defender, capable of playing in a number of different positions and roles. He has been excellent since their change of formation as he has helped others in the side get used to the new system. His leadership and organisational ability will be greatly missed over the coming weeks. The Belgian international suffered an injury at the same time of the season last year and Tottenham managed to cope. However, this year the league is much more competitive and it is once again a concern for them.

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Kevin Wimmer will be the favourite to fill in after performing well when required to last season. There have been other clubs looking at the Austrian, but Tottenham’s decision to keep him has now been vindicated. Across Europe, he is seen as a player that should be playing regularly, but he is a great player for Tottenham to have. Although he has only played three times in the Premier League this season, he will be keen to show what he can do in Vertonghen’s absence. He is good in the and his reading of the game is impressive. There should be no concerns about him coming in if that is the way that Pochettino decides to go.

Another option for Pochettino is playing Ben Davies on the left side of the three centre backs. It is a role that he excelled in for Wales during Euro 2016 and he would be confident about doing a similar job for his club side. He has played more football than Wimmer this season, but he is seen as a left back by Pochettino and if he uses him at centre back, he won’t have the option of rotating Danny Rose. Although this is a possibility, I don’t think it is the route that Pochettino will take.

From the two options within the squad, it would be more sensible to give Wimmer an opportunity. He hasn’t let Spurs down before and it is a position that is more natural to him than it is to Davies. At the age of 24, he should now be ready to take his game to the next level and it is a great chance for him to show other clubs what he can do. He may be happy at Tottenham right now, but he won’t be willing to be a rotational player for too much longer.

Tottenham’s top six rivals will be boosted by Vertonghen’s injury, but they should have more than enough to cope with it. Toby Alderweireld has the quality and the experience to step up and organise the defence in his absence, while both Kevin Wimmer and Ben Davies would be able deputies. Another option for Tottenham would be to move back to a four-man defence, with Eric Dier and Toby Alderweireld as the centre backs, but this could damage their attack. It is a problem for Pochettino, but it isn’t one that will derail their season.

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