Jan Vertonghen Denies Reports of Tottenham Rift with Andre Villas-Boas

Jan Vertonghen has denied reports suggesting there is a rift between Tottenham players and boss Andre Villas-Boas, amidst mounting suggestions the Portuguese manager is fighting for his job at White Hart Lane.

As reported by Jamie Jackson of The Guardian, the Belgian defender moved quickly to quash rumours of a revolt against the under-fire 36-year-old following Spurs' 6-0 loss to Manchester City:

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If there's a problem between the players and the manager? Absolutely not. There are also no troubles between [individual] players. This [defeat] was painful. Also the way we lost. I've the feeling I want to play this game again.

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Spurs chairman Daniel Levy and director of football Franco Baldini are reported to have reacted badly to their side's recent crumbling, but Neil Ashton of the Daily Mail also suggests Villas-Boas has angered his squad after placing blame on their performance:

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To add to the executive frustration, there is discontent among the players that Andre Villas-Boas came out after the embarrassing defeat and claimed the squad should feel ‘ashamed’.

A code has been broken and the bond between manager and players is at breaking point. Villas-Boas will struggle to recover some players’ trust.

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Tottenham boasted the best defence in the Premier League before their showdown with Manuel Pellegrini's side, who doubled the North London club's goals conceded stat from six to 12.

Villas-Boas made a number of questionable decisions during the match, an occurrence that has been apparent throughout the majority of the season.

He left Andros Townsend on the bench, despite the fact he has been one of Spurs' most influential players in the current campaign, and failed to bring on the pacey Englishman when the side desperately needed a goal.

Emmanuel Adebayor came on for Roberto Soldado, both of whom have scored fewer goals and appear less dangerous than Jermain Defoe this season. Meanwhile, record signing Erik Lamela made his first Premier League start in the game that was always going to test the squad's resolve.

Spurs spent over £100 million throughout the summer in order to replace the outgoing Gareth Bale.

Talents such as Lamela, Soldado, Christian Eriksen, Nacer Chadli and Etienne Capoue have failed to make a significant impact and continue to come up short in a side that many expected to challenge for the title.

While Bale extends his run of rave reviews in La Liga, Spurs struggle to maintain pace with the Premier League's best and currently toil in ninth position.

Vertonghen's comments may halt coverage suggesting Villas-Boas could receive the sack, but the manager will once again face fierce scrutiny if his side fail to beat Manchester United in their next domestic outing.

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