Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has been speaking to the press ahead of the weekend’s action, and has been discussing the development of Micky van de Ven.
Fixing the Spurs defence has arguably been the most pressing matter for Ange Postecoglou this summer. Last season, Tottenham conceded 63 goals in the Premier League, a figure which needs to be drastically reduced if the club is to challenge at the top.
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With a new style of play and a new 4-3-3 formation being implemented, the players at the club are being asked to do things very differently now. Gone are the conservative ways of the last two years, replaced by a more adventurous approach.
A big part of that involves the Spurs defenders being able to play out from the back, and to be able to track back quickly when necessary. To make that work, reinforcements have been desperately needed, and that’s where Micky van de Ven comes in.
The young Dutchman was identified by data analysts as being the kind of player who would fit Postecoglou’s system (Football.London) and there are high hopes for what he can achieve in North London.
Micky van de Ven has a lot to learn at Tottenham
The level of expectation on the 22-year-old is huge, as is his potential, but Postecoglou insists there is still a long way to go for van de Ven.
He told Football.London: “We signed him because we believe he has got some great attributes and great profile but I wouldn’t go as far as saying one game justified all those things.
“Micky knows he is here to challenge himself, to improve and hopefully develop into the defender he wants to be, and we hope he can be, in the toughest of environments.
“He only had one year in Bundesliga and was before that with Volendam, not one of the big Dutch clubs, so he made some enormous leaps but he will be the first to say one game is not what he is here for.
“He will challenge himself against the best forwards in the world but is a willing learner. He came with that mindset and our role is to give him that environment to turn that potential into what he can be.”
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It is very early days for van de Ven here and he will take some time to adapt to the English game for sure. He did well on his debut and was unlucky with his involvement in Brentford’s second goal, but it is all part of the learning curve. If he develops the way we all hope, he will be one of the very best in the league eventually.
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