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Jan Vertonghen: 'Tottenham Hotspur must find ways to counter defensive opponents'

Vertonghen: 'Teams more defensive against us'
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Jan Vertonghen wants Tottenham Hotspur to adapt their game to beat teams that play the North Londoners more defensively than would have been the case previously.

Jan Vertonghen has stressed that Tottenham Hotspur must adapt their game to see off opponents that have learned how to face the North Londoners.

Tottenham were runners-up to Chelsea in the Premier League last season and also pushed Leicester City all the way in 2015-16 before ultimately finishing third.

As a result, teams are now playing a more defensive game against Spurs, which has seen Mauricio Pochettino's side come unstuck this season, slipping to seventh in the table.

"We have been challenging for the league the last couple of years and the result of that is teams approach you in a different way," Vertonghen told Sky Sports News.

"They sit back more, whereas before they would try to go for the win at home. Now they just sit and wait for you to come and that is a different way of approaching a game and we should adapt to that.

"Teams tried to press you a bit more before compared to now and that is something you have to cope with. You will probably get better with it during the year and we have to find a solution to that style of play."

Up next for Spurs is Saturday's Premier League game away at Watford.

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3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest1911442619737
4Chelsea20106439241536
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle20105534221235
6Manchester CityMan City2010463627934
7Bournemouth209653023733
8Aston Villa209563032-232
9Fulham207943027330
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2061043029128
11Brentford208393835327
12Tottenham HotspurSpurs20731042301224
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd206592328-523
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham206592439-1523
15Crystal Palace204972128-721
16Everton193881525-1017
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1944113142-1116
18Ipswich TownIpswich2037102035-1516
19Leicester CityLeicester2035122344-2114
20Southampton2013161244-326


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