Tottenham: Pochettino shouldn't leave if they win says Mourinho
Tottenham went into the Champions League match trailing 1-0 following the first leg in north London.
It did not take long before Ajax doubled their aggregate lead at the Johan Cruyff Arena.
Centre-back Matthijs de Ligt powered home a header from a Lasse Schone inside five minutes.
And watching the goal back at half time, Ferdinand questioned the role of Vertonghen who he claimed was marking De Ligt alongside team-mate Kieran Trippier.
I’ve never seen two players mark one player, I don’t understand that
Rio Ferdinand on Ajax vs Tottenham
The Manchester United legend said he has never seen a situation like that before and wondered why Vertonghen did not take more control.
“Look at it here, there’s two of them marking De Ligt there,” Ferdinand said on BT Sport.
“Trippier, who’s never going to beat him in the air, and then Vertonghen’s trying to mark him as well.
“I’ve never seen two players mark one player, I don’t understand that.
Rio Ferdinand could not understand what Jan Vertonghen did in the first half of Ajax vs Tottenham (Image: GETTY/BT SPORT)
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Ferdinand says he has never seen two defender mark one attacker like Tottenham did (Image: BT SPORT)
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“As a centre-half, if the manager doesn’t come to me or my partner and say ‘mark their most dangerous man’, I’d be sitting there thinking ‘do you not think I’m any good?’.
“Vertonghen should be saying ‘no, I’ve got to mark him and stand on him and it’s about me against him and then anyone else can clear up the other bits’.
“That’s what a centre-half should be doing.”
Former Tottenham manager Glenn Hoddle also did not understand the defending from Spurs.