Micky van de Ven being overshadowed actually proves his brilliance
Jan Paul van Hecke one thousand precent deserves every plaudit thrown his way after his performance for Tottenham Hotspur against Crystal Palace. The new Dutch signing from Brighton was every bit as brilliant as Roberto De Zerbi told everyone he would be, scoring the sealing goal with his head while creating multiple chances and attempting an insane 151 passes as Spurs totally cleaned out a 10 man Palace in front of their suddenly upbeat fans.
But in all honesty, Micky van de Ven was also amazing for Tottenham both on and off the ball, and because Van Hecke is more active and racks up more numbers, his compatriot tends to go even more underrated than he should. The fact, though, that you barely hear Van de Ven's name speaks volumes and goes along with the fact that he has really taken on the captaincy positively from De Zerbi to become a true leader - and a true shutdown center back for Tottenham in 2026/27.
Van de Ven also had insane passing numbers against Crystal Palace as De Zerbi's men had their way with a short handed side. The 25 year old had 125 pass attempts and completed 99.2 percent of his passes, which is just insane. And he wasn't just going for only the low hanging fruit either. Because Van de Ven actually equaled Van Hecke with three key passes and even slightly edged him out with more than one long ball completed.
Micky van de Ven has vastly cut down on his mistakes
Once again, Van de Ven did not have to make a single defensive intervention, both because Tottenham Hotspur were hoarding so much more of the ball and the spaces over Crystal Palace but also because the player himself was so good at marking and squashing any counterattacking attempts that Palace could think of.
Micky van de Ven is having an incredible start to the 2026/27 Premier League season, and after rebounding already when Roberto De Zerbi first took the job from Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor at the end of the last season, Van de Ven has fully morphed back into a world class center back under the new manager.
If anything, he is getting better both in terms of his maturity on the ball as a passer and in his marking off the ball defensively. He is a complete player as a center back for Tottenham, and that he does not have his name called upon much tells you how great of a job he is doing defensively. There is literally no reason to call him out for an error in concentration or a bad pass.
Today's best reads
Jan Paul van Hecke is more than Roberto De Zerbi bargained for
Jan Paul van Hecke has no excuse not to be a Rolls Royce for Tottenham vs. Crystal Palace
Micky van de Ven has to pass a different kind of test for Tottenham vs. Chelsea
Tosin Adarabioyo is the motivation Jan Paul van Hecke needs
It's time for Mohammed Kudus to take the next step in his evolution for Tottenham vs. Crystal Palace
