Tottenham Hotspur fans are loving the vibe around the club since Roberto De Zerbi took over, because not only did he save the Lilywhites from relegation, but he also got so many of the best players on the team to believe in themselves again. Micky van de Ven was definitely one of those, as the star center back looked totally jaded and with one foot out the door before De Zerbi arrived to bring him back to his status as a top defender.
Van de Ven and the Netherlands are one of the sleeper contenders at the World Cup this year, and after a 2-2 draw with Japan in the first game, blowing a lead in the process, the Oranje fared up out much better against Graham Potter, Lucas Bergvall, and Sweden with a 5-1 blowout win over a team that had a blowout win over Tunisia to start their own tournament.
In truth, though, Van de Ven did not have a particularly great game over at the left back position. He has been touted a lot for his versatility and having the speed and athleticism to play at left back, but it was patently obvious against Sweden, especially when Newcastle man Anthony Elanga came on, that he is not a top caliber player in this position.
Micky van de Ven got cooked
Micky van de Ven got cooked repeatedly by Elanga, beaten for skill, beaten in position, and even beaten for pace because he did not have the short burst and acceleration out wide to get that step back on the former Nottingham Forest star.
While Van de Ven is a great player and a starting caliber center back for Tottenham Hotspur, he sealed the fact that he is only playing left back for the Netherlands in lieu of alternatives and so that all of himself, Virgil van Dijk, and future Tottenham teammate Jan Paul van Hecke can get on the pitch at the same time.
For Tottenham, the lesson here is simple, and it was a lesson most savvy Spurs supporters already knew. Van de Ven is not a valid option at left back. Tottenham have Souza, Andrew Robertson, England international Djed Spence, and incumbent Destiny Udogie all as left back options so that there is absolutely zero need for Van de Ven to be at left back, which is a proposition Spurs have increasingly avoided. He is not at all a left back, he does not have the tools of a left back, and he cannot play there at the highest level.
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