Tottenham's New Generation Built on Renaissance of 2 Oldest Players

There can now be no mistaking it—Tottenham Hotspur are really quite good. 

The 4-1 hammering of Manchester City could have been written off as a fluke result. City had their chances early in that game, and it could perhaps have turned out differently if Kyle Walker had been rightly flagged offside in the buildup to Spurs' first goal. 

The excellence of the performance away to Arsenal was undermined somewhat by the closing stages when the home side looked like they might sneak all three points. 

After the 4-1 defeat of West Ham, however, along with a string of other fine performances this season, there can no longer be any doubt. Spurs are as good as any team in the division. 

Mauricio Pochettino deserves a huge amount of the credit for the transformation of Spurs from the listless, anaemic team he inherited from the Andre Villas-Boas and Tim Sherwood era into the aggressive, dynamic team that now sits just four points off the top of the Premier League table. 

Having coached 10 of the last 18 players to have made their debuts for the national side, Pochettino has been rightly lauded for his faith in young English talent.

Eric Dier and Dele Alli are two of those to have recently made their bow. Both have been revelations in Spurs' midfield through the first four months of the season. 

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Alli drew his fifth yellow card of the season against West Ham and will now miss the match against Chelsea next week. That the absence of a 19-year-old has Tottenham fans worried speaks to just how special a player Alli is. 

Dier too continued his excellence against West Ham. In the frenzied opening period, Dier's physicality, aggression and intelligence helped Spurs come out on top. 

The performances of these youngsters have been beyond encouraging, but the re-emergence of two of the club's longest-serving players has helped the team reach a consistent level. 

Jan Vertonghen was among the best defenders in England when he joined the club from Ajax in 2012. He was deservedly named in the PFA's team of the season. 

Since that season, though, Vertonghen's performances have failed to return to that high watermark—until now.

With countryman Toby Alderweireld on his right and the ever-improving Danny Rose on his left, Vertonghen is once again imbued with the self-confidence that made him such an excellent player in that first year in England. 

Vertonghen is making the intelligent interventions that characterised that first season. Gone are the clumsy lunges that fans have become accustomed to seeing in more recent years. 

He is also bringing the ball forward again. 

In that first year, Vertonghen was as crucial to Spurs' attack as their defence. Living up to his roots in Dutch football, he would surge forward and create overloads in the opposition half. He scored regularly and made things happen in attack. 

Clive Rose/Getty Images

Without reliable players around him in recent seasons, Vertonghen has been unable to do that. 

"Super Jan," as he was christened by the White Hart Lane faithful in 2012, is back. 

A more surprising development has been Mousa Dembele's renaissance. 

Dembele has endured a dreadful time in recent seasons. 

Often injured or out of the team on merit, Dembele had been a shadow of the player who shone after joining the club from Fulham in 2012.

Restored to a more advanced position this season, broadly a No. 10, Dembele's unparallelled physical strength is being put to good use as willing runners move beyond him to create havoc. 

With Dier behind him, Dembele is no longer the last man and has the confidence to play his natural game. 

His fitness has also finally returned, allowing Tottenham to regularly get 90 good minutes out of the big Belgian. 

Spurs have been lauded for their young team, but veteran experience is vital if they hope to really push for a place in the league's top four.

When the younger players begin to struggle, as they invariably will, they need examples to look to. 

The inferior versions of both Vertonghen and Dembele would have been unsuited for that role, but both are now thriving and will be crucial to Tottenham's fortunes in this promising campaign.