Micky van de Ven is one of the best young players in the Premier League and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville is impressed by the Tottenham Hotspur defender.
Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville told Sky Sports Premier League (19.10, 27 October 2023) that Tottenham Hotspur and Dutch international centre-back Micky van de Ven are “much better than you think”.
The Sky Sports pundit noted Van de Ven’s attributes and said he has changed for the better since the first time he saw him play.
Neville made the comments about Van de Ven on Friday night ahead of the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur at Selhurst Park in London.
Gary Neville on Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven
The pundit said: “Van de Ven when I saw him in that match, and I saw him live against Manchester United, and I think we commented afterwards. “It felt very stiff, it felt a bit robotic when cornering.
“But then you look at him since then and think: he’s fast, he’s a very good defender, he’s a lot better than you think.”
My opinion: Micky van de Ven is a Tottenham Hotspur gem
As far as I’m concerned, Tottenham Hotspur have found a gem in Micky van de Ven.
Yes, Spurs had to spend £34.5 million in transfer fees to sign the 22-year-old in the summer transfer window, but it appears to be money well spent.
Van de Ven has established himself at the heart of Tottenham’s defense alongside Cristian Romero.
The Dutch international plays regularly and you can see he is growing in confidence and status. You wonder what Liverpool think of Van de Ven now at Tottenham.
Liverpool reportedly wanted to sign the 22-year-old during the summer transfer window, but the defender chose Spurs as the Reds could not guarantee he would start.
Tottenham are now top of the Premier League table.
Maybe, just maybe, Spurs could really challenge for the Premier League title this season.
After all, Arsenal put a lot of pressure on Manchester City last season, why can’t Tottenham do the same? I think Tottenham should believe in themselves.
Tottenham move five points clear with comfortable win at Crystal Palace
An own goal from Joel Ward and a goal from captain Son Heung-Min gave Tottenham a 2-1 victory despite a late goal from Jordan Ayew.
Tottenham produced a strong second-half performance to take all three points and are five points clear of second-placed Manchester City, who do not play until Sunday afternoon.
Palace captain Joel Ward redirected a James Maddison miss into his own goal to give Spurs the lead, before substitute Brennan Johnson marked his presence with his first assist for the club for the club’s eighth goal.
Son Heung-min of the season and the club’s second announced the evening. .
Earlier, Tottenham had gone the entire first half without a shot on target in one of Ange Postecoglou’s most disappointing 45 minutes.
But as has often been the case since the Australian coach took over, he made amends by replacing Ben Davies with Emerson Royal, which immediately improved the team’s passing and form.
There were gaps for Pape Matar Sarr, involved in the first goal. This time it was his substitution that caught the Palace defense off guard and gave Johnson the space to provide his assist for Son’s goal.
Jordan Ayew then scored a goal for the Eagles, ensuring a nervy end to the match. The VAR took a long look at the goal after the ball appeared to hit his hand, but concluded he was good enough to stay standing.
There were also the first minutes of the season for Rodrigo Bentacur, who came on late and tasted football for the first time since his knee injury in February.
Tottenham looked comfortable for much of the match but had to hold on to claim their eighth win of the season.
1. William Vicar-6
Came for two crosses in the first half. He seemed confident, even under enormous pressure.
2.Ben Davies -5.5
He replaced Udogie in the team and only lasted the first half.
3. Micky from Fri-7
He should be in discussion for signing this season. The pace is underestimated, but it’s his way of reading the game that is so beautiful.
4. Son Heung-Min -8
A somewhat quiet first half for the Tottenham captain, before he made up for it with a good finish that gave Spurs the lead.
1/4
