Tottenham Hotspur finally won their first game of the season this week, 3-1 over Coventry, but they will face a much sterner test that will really tell them how close they are to competing with the best in the Premier League again. Not that Chelsea have been that impressive since the start of last season either, but with Xabi Alonso coaching them and some of the most talented attackers in the league, they are a great test, especially on the road, for a Spurs side in high spirits.
Center back Micky van de Ven has been a man reborn and the new captain of the squad since Roberto De Zerbi took over as Tottenham manager, and while he is shutting down one on ones this season with an average of 0.2 dribbles complete per game allowed, it does feel like his spot as a starter isn't as steadfast as it could be.
There are some Spurs fans who were more impressed with Marcos Senesi in his stead in terms of his quality on the ball and even the security of his defending against Manchester United, which is surprising. And then in the back three set up, Tosin Adarabioyo blew a lot of fans away again with an excellent performance as the right sided center back.
Micky van de Ven needs to win more duels
Van de Ven has been doing a great job of shutting players down before he even has to intervene, and that has probably led to him being a bit underrated. But at a club like Tottenham Hotspur and in the setup Roberto De Zerbi plays where he wants Spurs to be aggressive, on the front foot, and swarming the opposition, Spurs are going to expect more from Van de Ven as a starting center back in terms of his defensive interventions.
With 1.2 tackles and 0.5 interceptions per game, Van de Ven has not been bad by any means at winning the ball, but he is definitely lagging behind his teammates, especially when you look at how aggressively Jan Paul van Hecke and Marcos Senesi are winning the ball back - and Tosin Adarabioyo when he plays, too.
Chelsea have one of the most in form strikers in European football in Joao Pedro, and Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer continue to be two of the Premier League's biggest superstars. They are all in top form under Xabi Alonos, and if Spurs are to win on the road, then they are going to need Micky van de Ven to be more aggressive and more of a superstar at the back with the captain's armband. He will be tested to be firmer and more active for his team.
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