Micky van de Ven is one step away from being a true shutdown CB for Tottenham
Tottenham Hotspur picked up another clean sheet this past Saturday at Stamford Bridge, except, this time, it was a clean sheet victory, as Spurs shut Chelsea down 2-0, neutralizing two of the most talented and in form English attackers around in Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers.
Micky van de Ven did not have a single tackle or interception, and he's only averaging one tackle and 0.4 interceptions per game this season. But he was the main protagonist defensively again, showing that the best defense, especially against world class players like the ones in the Chelsea attack, is playing off and being patient.
Whereas Van de Ven lacked discipline in the preceding seasons and almost seemed like he was becoming the worst possible clone of Cristian Romero - because the sequel can never be as successful as even the flawed prequel - he has been much smarter and more composed as the captain this season.
Micky van de Ven is closer than the pundits think
In seven appearances for Tottenham Hotspur this Premier League season, the young Dutch center back has only been dribbled past once. That is the kind of quality that his compatriot Virgil van Dijk over at Liverpool would be proud of in terms of not getting beat.
it is a huge uptick in form in terms of his approach to the game and quality at helping Tottenham avoid surrendering goals, and it is exactly what Spurs need to see more of from their defenders, especially after how much ill discipline hampered them as they nearly got relegated last season.
But Micky van de Ven is only almost there. He has improved a lot and is already close - a lot closer to being a true elite center back than he was last season. Van de Ven, though, has to get even better at blocking shots and positioning himself for interceptions. He is doing a great job of not gambling and of positioning himself smartly so that he does not have to make the tackle to stop the chance, but there are still some times where he can make the intervention.
For example, he had a couple of plays against Chelsea where he did brilliantly to cover for Andy Robertson getting burned by Pedro Neto or Cole Palmer on the right side of the Chelsea flank, but he did not position himself correctly to prevent the shot, leaving a very aware Antonin Kinsky exposed to a scorching shot in the box. If Van de Ven can get better at decision making off the ball and positioning, he can block more shots and make Tottenham's defense even deadlier. He's so close to putting it all together.
