Jan Paul van Hecke sent Tottenham the right signal
Tottenham Hotspur center back Jan Paul van Hecke has to deal with a lot of expectations, because Roberto De Zerbi demanded that HE would be his chosen center back. Not only is Van Hecke replacing Cristian Romero, a player held in regard around the world and who once brought Spurs the Europa League title, as the starter next to Micky van de Ven, but De Zerbi was also willing to mortage away a future superstar in Luka Vuskovic just to sign Van Hecke as an immediate upgrade.
Van Hecke has bounced back from a terrible Matchday 1 debut in a Tottenham kit in which he was run ragged by the Brentford attack in a 3-0 loss, and, so far, he has been the best passing center back in the Premier League. But defensively, Van Hecke has still left something to be desired, and he's actually been more up and down on the defensive end than Vuskovic has in his first ever Premier League season over at Brighton.
Everything Van Hecke does matters to Tottenham, and with Spurs seeking their first win in the Premier League this season, his international break will be watched closely before Spurs return on Oct. 10 with a huge matchup against another (albeit less) disappointing giant in Manchester United.
Jan Paul van Hecke had a great game vs. Serbia
Jan Paul van Hecke drew the start next to Virgil van Dijk, wtih teammate Micky van de Ven again at left back, in the Netherlands Nations League game against Serbia. And Serbia is a good test for Van Hecke, because they do have some proven starters at the European level.
Van Hecke, once again, passed his test with flying colors. Not only was he amazing on the ball wtih a team leading 117 pass attempts and a completion rate of 93.2 with three completed long balls and a completed through ball, but his defensive quality was supreme, too.
The former Brighton man led all Dutch defenders with two interceptions and 11 clearances, reading the pitch expertly in the 2-1 win for his team. And that's what Tottenham Hotspur want to see out of Van Hecke on the defensive end this season. They want their 50 million pound signing (and his price tag was actually deflated a bit by having just one year left on his contract) to look like a star both with the ball at his feet and in defense when it comes to anticipating plays.
Van Hecke is never going to be the fastest defensive player, but he bases his game on vision and his mind, just as he does when he is picking apart teams as a passer. Tottenham have seen Van Hecke at his best on the ball, and in addition to seeing that with the Netherlands vs. Serbia, Van Hecke was sublime in clearing danger and picking off passes. That's a positive signal for Spurs to take with them as they prepare for Manchester United after the break.
