Patience is the key for Vincent Janssen right now. Purchased from AZ Alkmaar by Tottenham Hotspur in the summer transfer window, it was a welcome addition to Mauricio Pochettino’s squad. Especially given how there had been no real cover for Harry Kane the previous season. Spurs fans breathed a sigh of relief that they wouldn’t have to enter another season with Kane as the recognised striker.
And so it has proven with Kane picking up an injury in the recent home match against Sunderland. Janssen was in place to step up but it hasn’t quite worked out that way for the Dutch international. It was widely assumed that Janssen would get a run of games in the starting line up for Spurs given Kane’s absence and take the opportunity to acclimatise firstly to English football and secondly to Pochettino’s energy sapping tactics. Janssen has scored a solitary goal so far. Against Gillingham in the EFL Cup – a penalty. And whilst his hold up play and willingness to bring others into the game have contributed to the team, he still appears that he needs time to adjust.
Heung Min Son was just one beneficiary of Janssen’s typically unselfish play, particularly in the away game against Middlesbrough when Janssen assisted his first goal. But Pochettino wants his players to work. And he wants them to work hard and consistently so. Perhaps Janssen’s fitness isn’t where Pochettino would like it to be just yet.
It came as a surprise therefore that Janssen was left out of the Spurs starting XI in Sunday’s clash with league leaders Manchester City. Pochettino instead opted to deploy the in form Son as the “false nine” in a line up that was set up to pressure City high up the pitch. It worked as Spurs ran out 2-0 winners as they also missed a penalty. But for Janssen this wasn’t how the script ought to have been written for him.
When Kane’s replacement doesn’t play even when Kane is not fit then you have to wonder. And it no doubt would have perplexed Janssen himself. But one thing that players and fans of Tottenham have learnt in recent seasons is to trust Pochettino. He will ensure that the striker plays when the game needs his particular skill set. There is no hurry for Janssen as much as he would like to play immediately. He is still learning and he knows that he still needs to develop his game. He is only 22.
Janssen’s rise has been somewhat meteoric. Two seasons in the Dutch second tier after being released by Feyenoord as a youngster and one season in the Eredivisie before the transfer to Tottenham. In fairness to him he has only played 453 minutes of football across ten games. It ought to be remembered that he didn’t score in the first eight games of his spell with AZ but he ended the season with 31 goals from 49 games.
He has only had two (almost) full games Premier League games for Spurs this season in three starts. The rest of his appearances have been as a substitute, with two of those substitute appearances giving him just 4 minutes of competitive football. It is early days for Janssen and he will hope that the same progression that many other players have shown under Pochettino’s tutelage will benefit him also.
Of course he may even start against West Bromwich Albion in Tottenham’s next Premier League game at The Hawthorns and that would be typical of Pochettino. It is all about the system and the opponent. But invariably it is about who is hot and who is not. Right now Vincent Janssen is lukewarm and hopefully heating up. Time will tell.
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