He was immaculate’: Pundit says 22-year-old Tottenham player is one to watch after North London derby display
‘Robbie Mustoe has suggested that Micky van de Ven was one small mistake away from being immaculate for Tottenham Hotspur in their North London derby draw with Arsenal on Sunday.
Mustoe was speaking on The 2 Robbies podcast after Ange Postecoglou’s side left the Emirates with a point as they twice battled back from going behind to draw 2-2.
Micky van de Ven was one player some Arsenal fans may have hoped to see their side get at. The Dutchman is only 22 and obviously new to the Premier League. So the Gunners may have hoped that he would fold under the pressure.
However, van de Ven stood tall. He was outstanding, remaining brave on the ball. And his pace was put to good use on the few occasions where Arsenal had opportunities to get at Spurs.
It always appeared to be a real risk to put so much faith in van de Ven ahead of this season. But his partnership with Cristian Romero appears to be developing into something really impressive.
van de Ven shines in Tottenham draw
Certainly, Mustoe suggested that he has been hugely impressed by the defender so far as he picked him out as his under-appreciated player of the week from the Premier League.
“I’m going kind of early on him, Micky van de Ven, this young, quick central defender they brought into the club, I thought – you talk about no drama – he is a really composed footballer,” he told The 2 Robbies.
“We know about his pace. I think he makes really well-timed challenges many of the times, very comfortable on the ball. He’s got great height, great presence. And he’s quietly proving to be an excellent acquisition, because we know how difficult it is to find players to play at this level in that position, playing alongside Romero who can be a little bit frenetic and over-aggressive. Probably not an easy partner to have. So I just think he’s somebody to watch.”
“I just think in that sort of environment, in that kind of game, that atmosphere, he had a very, very good game. I think he made one mistake, I can remember him now putting his hands up, just a bad ball. Otherwise, he was immaculate.”
The way Tottenham play under Ange Postecoglou means that players are always going to make mistakes.
Arsenal tried to press incredibly high. And they were men on a mission, particularly in the first-half. So the fact that Tottenham did not make more errors is testament to the progress they have already made.
In fact, it is frightening to think about the level van de Ven could reach. He has a World Cup winner alongside him. And Romero has been excellent this season.
And he has got a manager imploring him to be brave on the ball. With that, Tottenham may perhaps have their best centre-back pairing since Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld were together.
