Michel Vorm Is an Outlier in Pochettino’s Use of Tottenham Hotspur’s Back-Up Men

“Never doubt Michel Vorm—he’s a fantastic goalkeeper, he’s a top man.”

Mauricio Pochettino was unequivocal in his praise of the back-up ‘keeper’s display in Tottenham Hotspur’s 1-1 draw with Liverpool on Saturday. The manager is not usually one to single out his players individually if he can avoid it, positively or negatively, but he was keen to show Vorm appreciation.

The Dutchman more than deserved it too. He was excellent repelling a Reds attack that at times threatened to overwhelm his side, again verifying why he is such a valuable outlier among Tottenham’s back-up men.

“After two years here today, he has another possibility to play and show why we trust in him and believe,” Pochettino added of a second straight start for Vorm in the absence of injured captain and first-choice shot-stopper Hugo Lloris.

Having also played most of the season opener with Everton after replacing the Frenchman in the 35th minute, he has already doubled his Premier League appearance tally from 2015-16.

The game with Liverpool might just have been his best work yet in a Spurs shirt. “I think we are all very happy for his performance, I think today he was fantastic,” Pochettino said, echoing the feeling of the club’s supporters who voted him their man of the match.

Fine saves, excellent decision making and a complete, all-round display. @Vorm_Official is your #SpursMOTM v @LFC. pic.twitter.com/91b5FRgFAL

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 28, 2016

Vorm was involved virtually from the first whistle as the visitors chased Tottenham down, forcing them back to their goalkeeper.

Some iffy distribution was just about the only criticism you could make of his day overall, but he did enough keeping the ball away from the hunting pack—certainly so in the opening exchanges.

His first big save came within five minutes, impressively improvising to stop an awkward Philippe Coutinho shot from close range. A later Liverpool attempt being ruled offside did not detract from the impressiveness of his acrobatically clawing it out, while in the 26th minute he again denied Coutinho.

“It was so close, you don’t know really, it happened so quickly,” Vorm told Tottenham’s official website of the first chance. “The way we work here with Toni Jimenez, the goalkeeping coach, is to wait and react and that’s the best chance you have of making the save.”

With Liverpool looking to play beyond as well as find cracks in Spurs’ defence which the likes of the Brazilian and the speedy Sadio Mane could exploit, Vorm’s alertness was also vital. Left-back Danny Rose was certainly grateful he was on hand to cover for their getting caught out.

“I’m sure it was a great game for the neutral but there are a few things we’ll need to tidy up,” Rose said of Spurs’ deficiencies on Saturday. “Michel had to come tearing off his line a few times throughout the game and that’s not good enough from us as a whole.”

“I didn’t know he had that pace about him!” Eric Dier, performing as a makeshift right-back when Kyle Walker went off, said, underlining his …

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