Tottenham Hotspur star center back Micky van de Ven had a really rough patch of a few months that had Spurs supporters questioning how good he is, but since Roberto De Zerbi's arrival to the club as the new manager, the fans have turned the corner on the Dutchman again, as he's been quite solid and one of the key players in helping Spurs get closer to safety in the Premier League.
Van de Ven did not have his best moment against Chelsea, and there should still be doubts about how close he is to being world class, especially since he has not been particularly great in the last two seasons for Spurs.
But don't tell any of that to Roberto De Zerbi. The new Tottenham manager is clearly in love with Van de Ven, and with captain Cristian Romero injured and causing problems off the pitch by abandoning the team for the last game of the season vs. Everton, VDV's stock in North London is only rising.
Roberto De Zerbi is in love with VDV
In fact, De Zerbi is so high on Van de Ven that he told reporters at the press conference before the Matchday 38 clash between Tottenham Hotspur and Everton that he thinks VDV is the best left sided center half in the entire Premier League.
De Zerbi said, via Football.London's Alasdair Gold, "Great. I think he is the best centre back in the Premier League. We talk a lot of time because I think he suffered maybe too much for the situation of Tottenham this season. He's a sensitive guy, he's a good guy and in my time, I think he played amazing. And for that, I'd answer he's the best central back, left centre in the Premier League."
Micky van de Ven is a good player, but even Tottenham fans won't buy that he is the best center back in the league or even the best left sided center back in the league. De Zerbi has a way of gassing up his players, and making Van de Ven feel loved at a critical part of the season before the summer transfer window with clubs as big as Real Madrid, Liverpool, and Barcelona linked to him is actually a great strategy, particularly because Cristian Romero already seems to have one foot out the door.
But that's all this ploy sounds like, because it's hard to imagine De Zerbi actually thinks that Van de Ven is the absolute best center back on the left in the league. Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, and other top teams in the Premier League have better, more consistent, and more proven options than Van de Ven.
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