Fit-Again Toby Alderweireld's Impact Is Already Being Felt by Tottenham Hotspur
When Toby Alderweireld signed for Tottenham Hotspur in summer 2015, the club produced a video instructing fans how to correctly pronounce his surname.
Once heard a few times, it is not too difficult to say, but compared to some of his team-mates' names, it is a mouthful. It certainly does not lend itself to being adapted the simplistic repertoire of football songs and chants commonly heard performed by fans these days (though this writer thinks Steppenwolf's "Born to Be Wild" is ripe for adaptation).
This is the only reason you have not heard Alderweireld's name more around White Hart Lane and other grounds for Spurs games recently, because in a full-blown case of absence making the heart grow fonder, the defender became even more popular during his recent injury layoff.
The subsequent sample size is admittedly small, but two-and-a-half games into his return, Alderweireld has already served a reminder of his value to the Tottenham cause.
The Belgium international missed 10 games in all competitions while out.
Spurs got by reasonably well in the Premier League, remaining unbeaten until late November, but appeared to miss his assured presence in the different surrounds of the Champions League. However, it is questionable how much difference he would have been made in the deciding game against a Monaco onslaught precipitated by manager Mauricio Pochettino's narrow midfield setup.
"It was difficult to see the team play in the Champions League and big games in the Premier League as well," Alderweireld told Tottenham's official website earlier in December. "You want to try to help the team, but that gave me a reason to work hard and come back as quickly as possible."
That process was not an easy one. After initially getting injured during a 1-1 draw at West Bromwich Albion (the game was still scoreless at his departure), what was hoped to have been a swift return proved complicated.
As well as the motivation of playing again, Alderweireld was pushed on by a still-demanding schedule.
"It was a tough two months, because it's not been a usual injury, but I worked hard so as soon as the muscle and nerve starting working again, I could be fit to play again," he recalled upon his return.
"When you are injured at Spurs, you have to work very hard! That's a good thing, because when you are back, you are fully fit. I put a lot of effort in, and I'm happy to be back. I just want to help the team in the next few weeks."
Fit as the work had got him, Alderweireld's return in the 3-1 win over CSKA Moscow was necessary to, as Pochettino put it, "feel competition again."
The reception he received from the Spurs fans at Wembley upon his 68th-minute introduction was one of the best you will hear for an individual, a real testament to his popularity. Had he converted a Georges-Kevin Nkoudou cross later on, it would have really been a special night for the 27-year-old.
Overall, Alderweireld's 25 minutes was about right.
CSKA had caused Spurs some problems going direct, working off Lacina Traore. He got caught out underneath one such targeting of the big striker, but by that point in the game, his team-mates were better prepared for what followed any flick-ons—Kyle Walker blocking a shot, in this instance.
Heading into a big Premier League fixture against Manchester United, it had been important to give Alderweireld some minutes. Pochettino was certainly pleased to have him back for "a very busy period" over Christmas.
"Toby was one of our best players last season, and like always, you miss players when they are injured," the Argentinian said ahead of the trip to Old Trafford, per Spurs' official website: "We have 24 players, and you want all the players fit to try to compete and then you choose one or another. Always it's healthy to have all players fit to try to increase the competition in the training sessions, to try to push everyone to give their best."
Despite Pochettino talking about competition for places, there was little doubt Alderweireld would be reinstalled in the Tottenham defence once ready.
As he noted, the centre-back had been so important in 2015-16 and had already contributed to the team's strong defensive record early in the new one. They had conceded just three goals in the eight league games he started.
Having Alderweireld back to take on the Zlatan Ibrahimovic-led Manchester United attack was a big boost. It did not take the Spurs man long to show why.
In the opening 15 minutes, he twice launched trademark diagonal long passes for the familiar target of Dele Alli. While deputising for him, Eric Dier had shown his range, too. And while they did not result in a legitimate chance, there is a pleasing arc to Alderweireld's passes that was good to see again.
His first real defensive contribution was a clearance following an attempted combination between Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Ibrahimovic.
The movement and vision of these two would test the Spurs defence throughout the afternoon. Here, he was alert to the through ball aimed for the latter (though the striker got his run wrong, anyway).
Alderweireld's good reading of situations and nimbleness making positional adjustments is behind a lot of his most timely interventions. Few of his team-mates and peers are so quick in the head and just quick in general.
Unfortunately, there was no stopping Man United's match-winning goal.
He and centre-back partner Jan Vertonghen had moved forward, not expecting Spurs to lose it in midfield. Despite his best efforts to catch up with Mkhitaryan, the Armenian was already clear to score.
There is only so much Alderweireld and his fellow defenders can do at times. Another example of this came in a great United break in the second-half.
Paul Pogba received a pass in the centre circle with no Spurs midfielders within five yards of him. Alderweireld swiftly had to decide what took precedence between engaging with the Frenchman and keeping an eye on Ibrahimovic's run in behind.
Vertonghen managed to keep pace with the Swede, but even then his compatriot still had Pogba running at him. He motioned to block the path of a pass forward, forcing the Man United midfielder to go right to Mkhitaryan instead.
Here came the limit of Alderweireld's power.
With Ibrahimovic now passed onto Walker and Vertonghen protecting the near post, Spurs' other central defender ran to cover him while instructing the now-ready Victor Wanyama to track Pogba. Wanyama responded a split-second too late, allowing Pogba enough time to shoot from Mkhitaryan's cutback. Fortunately for Spurs, Hugo Lloris was able to save it.
Tottenham's defence being left on the back foot is an occupational hazard with the team's attacking style. Teams of United's quality are capable of taking advantage, but as was seen in the 3-0 win over Hull City days later, Alderweireld and Co. are more often than not prepared to adjust.
Pochettino deployed a loose 3-4-3 formation against the Tigers. At the back, Alderweireld was positioned between Vertonghen to his left and Dier to his right, with Danny Rose and Walker operating as wing-backs.
Second-bottom Hull, unsurprisingly, did not test them anywhere near as well as Man United. Still, Spurs needed to be sharp and organised. Alderweireld's marshalling of their resources ensured they were throughout the night.
It was not a big moment, but the way he directed Vertonghen to cover him as he tracked Robert Snodgrass out wide in the 16th minute was a nice example of this defence's understanding. The cross eventually came in, but he had bought enough time for others to regroup and clear.
Later on, it was Alderweireld who did the covering.
Dier's misplaced pass sent Hull's Adama Diomande bounding down on the Spurs goal. He skipped past Vertonghen but, having kept an eye on Snodgrass long enough for Dier to get back, Alderweireld was there to block the attacker's shot.
"Toby is a leader, great defender, great on the ball and a great player," Alli told Spurs' official website earlier this month of his highly regarded club-mate (see above). "He's a joy to play with, to be honest."
Tottenham just about got by without Alderweireld and, if forced to, could do so again. There is no denying, however, that they are an even more solid, and happy, group with him in the team.
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