Tottenham: Micky van de Ven nowhere to be seen as players arrive ahead of Luton Town clash
Micky van de Ven was nowhere to be seen with the arriving Tottenham players ahead of their clash with Luton Town.
Ange Postecoglou will be desperate for a response from his players after they were thrashed 3-0 by Fulham at Craven Cottage (16 March) before the international break.
However, it looks as if the Australian might once again be without star centre-back van de Ven.
Despite suggestions this week that van de Ven could feature, with Postecoglou himself confirming that the defender was "available" (Tottenham Hotspur Official Website, 29 March), the 22-year-old was nowhere to be seen as the players arrived at the stadium.
In a video shared to the club's official X account (30 March), the players could be seen arriving ahead of their clash with Luton, with van de Ven a notable absentee.
Spurs have a chance to break into the Premier League top four with a victory over Luton by two or more goals, although might find life difficult without their Dutch defender.
Micky van de Ven is key for Ange Postecoglou at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Spurs were unbeaten during the first 10 league games of the season, with van de Ven featuring in every match.
After he went off injured in their 4-1 defeat to Chelsea (6 November), Spurs would lose their next two matches on the bounce, as they saw their form take a drastic dip.
Following his return in the 2-2 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford (14 January), Tottenham would win four of their next six Premier League matches.
Van de Ven picked up another injury in the 4-0 victory at Aston Villa (10 March), with Spurs losing their next match, the 3-0 defeat at Fulham.
It is therefore clear just how important the Dutch international is in North London, something which his stats back up.
As per fbref, van de Ven ranks in the 98th percentile of his positional peers in England's top flight this season for his pass completion rate (95.3 per cent per 90).
His ability on the ball is frightening, as he ranks in the 93rd percentile for the number of successful take-ons he has completed (0.65 per 90) as well as the 91st percentile for the number of tackles he has made in the attacking third (0.18 per 90), demonstarting his ability to operate in Postecoglou's high-line.
Radu Dragusin was the man who deputised for van de Ven against Fulham, and he did not enjoy the most comfortable of evenings.
Spurs should still have enough to beat Luton without van de Ven, and if Dragusin does start, he will be hoping for a more comfortable afternoon.
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