Former Tottenham Hotspur manager, Tim Sherwood, was not impressed by Micky van de Ven’s debut for the club and described the young defender as being too ‘wooden.’
After a disastrous season last year for the Spurs defence, in which they conceded 63 league goals, it was imperative that reinforcements to the back line were made this summer.
Ange Postecoglou has introduced a new 4-3-3 formation since arriving at the club, meaning the back three of last term is gone.
The Australian also demands his defenders play out from the back, and that they have the athleticism to track back from high areas.
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Needless to say, this new style of play is more of a challenge for the likes of Davinson Sanchez and Eric Dier.
The future of both players has been heavily questioned and it remains to be seen whether they will survive the summer exodus at Spurs (The Sun).
New signing, Dutch defender Micky van de Ven, is thought to be a perfect fit for Postecoglou’s approach to the game (Football.London).
Sherwood criticises Van de Ven’s Tottenham debut
However, Tim Sherwood was not overly impressed by the competitive debut of Micky van de Ven, but admitted he hopes he is wrong about the 22-year-old.
He told Premier League Productions (14/08/23 at 2:45 pm): “It’s not about individuals at centre-half, it’s about partnerships. I hope van de Ven is the answer.
“To me, he looks a bit wooden. He is very quick. 6ft5. I am just saying what I see. I don’t know a lot about him and, hopefully, he is a lot better than I think.
“He is very wooden on the ball. Slow on the turn. Very quick in a straight line. And, hopefully, Romero and him could be the partnership that Spurs need.”
Spurs Web Opinion
It is way too soon to be criticising any player who has just arrived in England and has been thrown into their debut. The partnership between van de Ven and Romero will take time, but I am very confident it will work. The former, is a quality young player who has all the attributes to succeed.
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