Tottenham Hotspur came into Matchday 2 of the 2026/27 Premier League season with a lot of optimism, having just beaten Charlton Athletic in their first contest of the League Cup this season, doing so by a margin of 5-1. It was not a perfect game, as Roberto De Zerbi pointed out aftewards, but it was highly encouraging and featured a much needed offensive explosion after the pathetic Premier League opener against rivals Brentford, in which Spurs lost 3-0 on the road.
This weekend, though, Spurs were trounced 2-0 at home by Newcastle United, already ceding points in what figures to be a tight race for European places. The attack was obviously anemic despite a strong debut from new striker signing Omar Marmoush, but the defense and midfield were also below average.
Captain Micky van de Ven made his first Premier League start with the arm band around him, taking over from his old center back partner Cristian Romero as the new leader of the club. Van de Ven did not partake in the embarrassing opening blowout defeat to the Bees, so there was a lot of hope that his return would solidify the defense further next to compatriot Jan Paul van Hecke, even though it was Marcos Senesi who actually played well in the awful Brentford loss.
Micky van de Ven did not play like a captain
But while Van Hecke did bounce back, Van de Ven was horrendous against Newcastle. He totally failed in his first test as captain, as Spurs were not at all more defensively solid than they were before, and you could argue that they were even worse at the end of the game, totally bending.
Plus, Van de Ven failed to progress the ball at all. His passing was very safe and plain in a game in which Tottenham Hotspur needed more verve straight out of the back. Defensively, Micky van de Ven struggled to position himself properly and was far too inactive in winning possession, preventing Spurs from getting out on the right foot to attack and score goals.
Tottenham are going to need more leadership and also leadership by example from their captain. Van de Ven is already coming into this role with a lot of question marks, as many fans saw him as no better than Cristian Romero when Spurs were sliding into relegation last season. This performance was only the first but will do nothing to quell the doubters from the Lilywhite stands.
Add us as a preferred source on Google