Tottenham Hotspur‘s Micky van de Ven has been at the receiving end for his poor form for the Netherlands during this international break.
The 25-year-old prefers to operate as a centre-back and can also play on the left side of defence.
Roberto De Zerbi has promoted him as the new Tottenham captain and started him in four Premier League matches this season. The Netherlands international has partnered his compatriot, Jan Paul van Hecke, in the heart of Spurs’ defence.
Change of position for Tottenham player
New manager Xavi used Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk and Jan Paul van Hecke as the two centre-backs for the first two matches. The latter then suffered an injury and has already returned to Tottenham Hotspur.
Therefore, the Spaniard started Jurriën Timber alongside Van Dijk against Greece earlier this week. This meant Micky van de Ven started as a left-back and played every minute in three matches.
Marciano Vink and Kenneth Perez have criticised the 25-year-old’s performances during this international break. Perez said: “We really have a problem at the left-back position.”
De Telegraaf journalist Valentijn Driessen is now joining in the, somewhat over the top, lashing out at the defender.
He was analysing the Spurs defender’s latest form against Greece for the newspaper’s podcast, Kick-off. FcUpdate, who relays his comments, says his disappointing performance earlier this week was ‘not an isolated incident’.
“You can almost see Van de Ven looking around as if to say: what am I supposed to do? He just needs to receive clear instructions before a match and not all sorts of tactical tricks otherwise,” he said.
“It seems as if those guys have it in their heads that Xavi’s instructions are more important than playing with a free spirit. In the first half, they were just messing around.”
| Every Tottenham Hotspur signing 26/27 | Previous Club | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Sandro Tonali | Newcastle United | £92.5m |
| Mateus Fernandes | West Ham United | £85m |
| Sávio | Manchester City | £75m |
| Jan Paul van Hecke | Brighton | £52m |
| Tosin Adarabioyo | Chelsea | £7m |
| Marcos Senesi | Bournemouth | Free |
| Andy Robertson | Liverpool | Free |
| Martin Dúbravka | Burnley | Free |
| Cole Ramsey | Aston Villa | Free |
Manager urged to drop Tottenham man
Valentijn Driessen has urged Xavi to drop Micky van de Ven in favour of a recognised left-back.
“It has been three matches in a row now. I hope Xavi will just put a normal left-back there for once. Like [Chelsea’s Jorrel] Hato, whom I think is better centrally than at left-back. But he also plays left-back regularly,” Driessen explained.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side are yet to register a league win and are now bottom of the table with two points from five matches.
The growing criticism of the Tottenham Hotspur player from the Netherlands comes after Spurs’ poor start to the season. Should Van de Ven give attention to them, it may impact his own performance.
