Tottenham trophies would follow FA Cup success – Vertonghen

Jan Vertonghen believes FA Cup glory would be the catalyst for a period of sustained success at Tottenham.

Although Mauricio Pochettino has been hailed for the progress Spurs have made in four years under his leadership, silverware continues to elude the club.

Vertonghen was one of three Tottenham players included in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year on Wednesday, along with striker Harry Kane and Denmark international Christian Eriksen.

And ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United, Vertonghen predicted one trophy would soon be followed by more if Spurs win a tournament for the first time since the EFL Cup in 2008.

“Everyone at the club is looking forward to games like Saturday and being in finals,” Vertonghen said.

“I’ve been here a long time and this is definitely the best team I’ve played in at Tottenham. This team and club deserves a trophy for all the work we’ve put in, and we hope Saturday can be the next step.

“Everyone always says: ‘What do you need to win trophies?’ But when I won my first the next couple followed at a very quick tempo. You just need that belief you can do it and then they will come. We’re full of confidence that we can.”

Proud to be named in the PFA team of the Year for 17/18. Looking forward to the Semi Final this weekend #PFAawards #COYS https://t.co/dtPltFX9nc

— Jan Vertonghen (@JanVertonghen) April 18, 2018

Tottenham have shaken off last season’s talk of a ‘Wembley curse’ and have only lost four matches on their temporary home ground this term, although two of those defeats were in their most recent matches at England’s national stadium.

Vertonghen does not feel Wembley losses against Serie A leaders Juventus in the Champions League and Saturday’s defeat to Premier League champions Manchester City will impact upon his side.

“United are a big team and they’ll do everything to win a trophy this season as well,” Vertonghen said. “It’s funny it’s at Wembley – it’s definitely not a disadvantage.

“We’re used to it now but the atmosphere will be different because United will bring more supporters than usual. But we feel very comfortable at Wembley, we’ve shown that over the last couple of months – not against City, but before that.

“We have to approach the game like we do in the league. In games at Wembley, we want to dominate, we want to entertain and play in a very positive way. Hopefully we can have the same game as at the beginning of this year when we beat United [2-0] in a very positive way.”