Time for Pochettino to Consider Dropping Vertonghen from Tottenham's Defence?

You know those "you had one job!" Internet memes? The Tottenham Hotspur attack may feel like nominating their defence for one after Saturday's 1-1 draw with Leicester City saw a lead blown for the second consecutive week.

The prime candidate to be the face of any such pictorial dishonour would have to be centre-back Jan Vertonghen.

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Tottenham's hard-earned 81st-minute opener against Leicester—finished by substitute Dele Alli—was wasted within a minute when Vertonghen tamely allowed Riyad Mahrez to drive into the box and shoot unchallenged.

It followed the Belgium international and his partner Toby Alderweireld's nonexistent marking of Mame Biram Diouf the previous week against Stoke City. The striker's free header confirmed the Potters' comeback from two goals down to draw 2-2.

After a frustratingly inconsistent 2014-15 defensively, a promising effort in the opening-day 1-0 loss to Manchester United engendered early optimism that improvements were about to be made here by Spurs (there was little the defence could do about the goal conceded). Instead, the subsequent re-emergence of decidedly lax protection of their goal has raised the question of whether Vertonghen is doing enough to deserve his current status of first choice.

Just like those memes tell only a snapshot's worth of a story (albeit often amusingly), casting Vertonghen as the only one culpable for Spurs not recording their first win of the season would be a simplified interpretation.

As referred to post-match by captain Hugo Lloris (see above), there were opportunities to stop Leicester getting the ball as far as the penalty area for Mahrez's equaliser. Better readiness could have seen Ben Davies do better competing with Jamie Vardy for the flick-on that found the Algerian attacker. The visitors might not have been relying on a single-goal lead, either, had they found a way to breach the home side's defence earlier.

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That was never going to be easy against a well-disciplined Leicester outfit that admirably maintained its shape for 80 minutes in conditions, so hot water breaks were allowed.

The lack of ideas and daring the Foxes exposed in Spurs will be something head coach Mauricio Pochettino will want to address as much as his leaky defence. The introduction of Erik Lamela for the injured Christian Eriksen did not pay off on this occasion. Starved for service in the first half, Harry Kane searching for the ball all across the pitch provided further evidence another forward to help him occupy opposition defences would surely be beneficial.

Yet for all that, Spurs' attrition in an improved second-half showing looked to have finally wore Leicester down late on. Seeing a rare tunnel of light unimpeded by blue shirts, Kane seized the chance to charge forward. The front man passed left to Nacer Chadli, whose floated cross was headed joyfully home by 19-year-old Alli.

Had the north Londoners won 1-0, the need for improvement would not have been obscured, but it would not have detracted from the hard-fought nature of the victory, either.

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The travelling fans had barely stopped celebrating when the game changed suddenly. When Tottenham needed Vertonghen to do the thing he is chiefly on the pitch for, he was found wanting.

The Belgian had already been made aware of the difficulty stopping the in-form Mahrez.

Shortly before half-time, he was fortunate not to give away a penalty when he grabbed the right-winger to stop him getting free. On the 69th minute, Vertonghen was unable to get close, and Spurs almost fell behind as Mahrez fired off the outside of the post (a little sympathy can be afforded in this instance, as he was left somewhat exposed after Davies lost possession).

Perhaps these moments confirmed Vertonghen was no match for Mahrez. But that would be doing a disservice to a defender of considerable individual ability—one whose nimble feet and thinking should have seen him do more to deny the Leicester man such an unencumbered route towards goal.

Working Bleacher Report's live blog for the Premier League clash, Karl Matchett was certainly unimpressed with Vertonghen's efforts here.

Vertonghen is very much a player in keeping with the modern perception of what a defender should be.

An Ajax education and his place as part of Belgium's "golden generation" saw Spurs' signing of him in 2012 recognised as something of a coup. His tidy passing and gliding-like dribbling have equipped him to play both at left-back and centrally, backed by an elegance to his tackling that makes it look less of a rough activity than it mostly is.

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These last couple of displays have reiterated a less flattering side to his game—an inconsistency and lack of assertiveness that has not so often been held against him. Compared to others, his reputation has arguably helped the 28-year-old avoid being rebuked for his own part in an iffy few years for the position of defence at Spurs (mostly in such moments as against Stoke when he has been found switched off).

The good of Vertonghen in his time at White Hart Lane has made a notable difference. But the not-so-good, as seen in recent weeks, prompts the questions of should more be expected of him, or are we expecting too much?

An affirmative answer to either leaves two similarly undesirable situations. A player who is not delivering or one who is not as indispensable a presence as he might sometimes seem. At which point, if Vertonghen does not pick up his form, Pochettino will have to decide if there is a less complicated option within his squad who can reliably perform defensive fundamentals.

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For now, the season's fledgling status and the hope he and Alderweireld (who, though better against Leicester, was even more culpable at Stoke) can help each other should be enough for Vertonghen to retain his place. With Federico Fazio seemingly on the outs and Kevin Wimmer untested in England (and green besides), the Belgian pair's experience and balance makes them their boss' best bet at centre-back.

If Vertonghen sharpens up and gets over the uncertainty that has plagued his performances early in this campaign, there should not be a problem. But if he cannot be, the no-nonsense presence capable of stewarding Tottenham's even younger squad this season, change may be forced.