OPINION
Tottenham have confirmed that defender Jan Vertonghen will miss his side’s upcoming clash with West Ham at the London Stadium.
The Hammers are set to host Spurs on October 20 in the Premier League once the international break has concluded but it seems Manuel Pellegrini’s side have now being given the upper hand in the forthcoming clash.
Spurs revealed via a brief statement on their official website that their 31-year-old Belgian centre-back had sustained a hamstring injury in their last league outing against Huddersfield Town and will be aiming to return to full training by December.
This is a major blow to Spurs as Vertonghen is a key part of their side and they will be weaker for not having him to call upon when facing the Hammers in the near future.
While Mauricio Pochettino will no doubt look to use Davinson Sanchez in place of the Belgian centre-back, the 22-year-old is not on the same level as his teammate as of yet.
Sanchez has all tools to one day become as good as Vertonghen but as it stands, he does have a few unforced errors in him and doesn’t have the same rapport that Vertonghen has with defensive partner Toby Alderweireld.
Given that the Hammers will be the first side to play Spurs following this news about Vertonghen, it means they can take full advantage before Pochettino’s side learn to cope with out him.
The Hammers have a fantastic attacking front three in the form of Felipe Anderson, Marko Arnautovic and Andriy Yarmolenko who will smell blood in the water and be encouraged by not seeing Vertonghen’s name on the opponent’s teamsheet.
All three of this attackers will no doubt be fired up to take on a team of Spurs stature but also because it will provide an opportunity to implement themselves in supporter’s hearts as there are a few things Hammers fans enjoy more than getting a win over Spurs.
Anderson, Arnautovic and Yarmolenko are all talented to give Spurs’ defence a trying time when they’re at full strength but with Pochettino’s side now confirmed to be a man down, it’s clear the Hammers hold the upper hand and must do all they can to make their advantage count.
