Will Michel Vorm Regret Spurs Move After Another Quiet Night in Brighton Win?

Tottenham Hotspur took their time in the Capital One Cup fourth round but eventually did enough to see off Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0. Substitute Erik Lamela opened the scoring before Harry Kane sealed the win with just over a quarter of an hour to go.

While it took until the 54th minute for the Premier League side to score against their Championship opponents, they were never really troubled. Ask Michel Vorm.

The goalkeeper had the kind of quiet night that would be cherished by shot-stoppers in many circumstances. But in just his second start for Tottenham, he might have liked a bit more to do.

Vorm's first notable contribution was to give away a corner when he tried to pass back to Jan Vertonghen along the goal line. Such an error might have been foreboding against more testing opposition—evidence of a nervy defence ripe to be exposed by an unforgiving attack.

Brighton were not the side to force the Spurs into such a state.

Full-backs Kyle Naughton and Ben Davies patrolled their flanks well and were able to get forward without fear of reprisal. Federico Fazio and Vertonghen looked more comfortable together with a few games as a partnership under their belt. Among the four of them, they rarely allowed the Seagulls a sight of goal.

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Vorm remained alert and dealt with a curled effort from Adrian Colunga late on then stopped the same player in the last few minutes. In between then, he safely collected a loose ball from the feet of Kazenga LuaLua after the attacker had been challenged racing into the box.

Besides that, though, Vorm mostly stood in his area and watched.

The Dutchman was well aware playing time would be rarer at Tottenham than at Swansea City when he moved this past summer. Spurs wanted a similarly talented backup to the ageing Brad Friedel who could, if necessary, replace first-choice Hugo Lloris.

The excellent Lloris was clearly in firm command of the No. 1 jersey at White Hart Lane, but Vorm was relishing the opportunity to come and compete with the France captain.

"I came to Spurs, to work hard, to train at a higher level, to play at a higher level and to become a better goalkeeper," Vorm told the club's official newsletter in September.

Those comments followed the League Cup win over Nottingham Forest, and while he knew he was not going to displace Lloris for the upcoming north London derby, he was still keen to enjoy his first start.

"I made my debut in the Capital One Cup and the stadium was almost full. That’s why I came here. Over 30,000 is unbelievable, it’s a joy," he told the newsletter. 

Vorm has since reiterated his understanding of the situation he is in.

"... Hugo is doing amazingly," he correctly appraised earlier in October. However, the Dutch international would have been forgiven for being at least a little surprised not to play the two Europa League games that followed the Forest win.

Every other position in the team saw changes made by Mauricio Pochettino, yet the head coach stuck with Lloris in goal. Pochettino obviously had his reasons. But with the talented Vorm fit and ready for the League Cup games that bookended them, it is a little perplexing he was not given a chance to test himself in Europe.

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With Lloris suspended for the return game against Asteras Tripolis, 31-year-old Vorm will almost certainly play next week. A good performance might convince his boss to stick him for the remaining group games too. His role in the competition so far suggests Vorm will play in the Capital One Cup quarterfinal versus Newcastle United in mid-December.

Whether these sporadic appearances will be enough to satisfy him professionally will become apparent in the next couple of months. Relatively quiet outings versus lower-league opposition is probably not the "higher level" football he was looking for.

Vorm could be playing regularly just about anywhere right now. That he is not could become a cause for regret. Or maybe he really is just that good a team player, one willing to bide his time and ready to contribute to the Tottenham cause when needed.