Vertonghen: Spurs good enough to respond to Bayern Munich humiliation
Tottenham Hotspur defender Jan Vertonghen said he was filled with hurt and shame following Tuesday’s 7-2 UEFA Championship League defeat by Bayern Munich.
But he backed the London club to stick together and emerge stronger from the setback.
Tottenham suffered their heaviest home defeat in Europe as former Arsenal winger Serge Gnabry struck four goals to send a message to the other teams in the competition.
“I feel extremely hurt, ashamed. All negative thoughts are going through my head. It’s embarrassing to stand in front of you guys,” Vertonghen, 32, told reporters.
“This is a bad incident, but this group is together. We have to stay together.
“We will turn this around. I’m not walking away from this… We have to take responsibility and we will.”
Tottenham, runners-up to Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League last season, have struggled for consistency this season so far.
Tuesday’s defeat followed a 2-2 stalemate at Olympiakos Piraeus in their Group B opener last month.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side were knocked out of England’s League Cup competition in the third round by League Two (fourth tier) Colchester United last month.
They currently sit sixth in the English Premier League (EPL) with 11 points from seven games.
But Belgium international Vertonghen believes they can turn their fortunes around, starting with Saturday’s league clash at 16th-placed Brighton & Hove Albion, and he has a message for fans.
“Keep supporting us. I believe we have the people in the team to overcome this situation,” he added.
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“The next game is in the league on Saturday and that can be a good chance to get rid of this feeling.”(Reuters/NAN)