Micky van de Ven slaughtered by Dutch media after Tottenham star's showing vs Germany
It's been a tough start to the 2026-27 season for Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven.
The 25-year-old has struggled in the opening matches of the Premier League, not least in the 3-2 defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday.
Van de Ven and Netherlands teammate Jan Paul van Hecke were torn to shreds by Villa as Roberto De Zerbi's wait for a first league win continued.
And it didn't get much better for Van de Ven on Thursday night while on international duty for the Netherlands.
If it wasn't for a stoppage time equaliser by Cody Gakpo, the Dutch would have lost their Nations League opener against Germany
Felix Nmecha opened the scoring in the 32nd minute in the game that ended 1-1 with Van de Ven being forced to play at left-back.
How the Dutch media reacted to Micky van de Ven's performance
Going through the Dutch player ratings and reaction to Thursday's 1-1 draw isn't pretty reading for van de Ven.
While it wasn't his fault that Xavi - who managed his first game in charge of the Netherlands - forced him to play at left-back, it's not a position that is completely alien to him.
Unfortunately for Van de Ven, the media in his home nation have suggested that was the case, with Voetbal International scoring him 5.5 for his display.
Dutch outlet SoccerNews was even harsher on van de Ven, scoring him with a 5/10 and saying: "Xavi also made the mistake Koeman made: using Van de Ven as a left-back. Totally absent for the 0-1. Also struggled immensely on the ball. Just like Van Hecke, he could not turn around his mediocre start for Spurs in the national team."
Voetbal Primeur rated him at 5.5 and wrote: "At Spurs he forms a duo with Van Hecke, but in the national team he plays as a left-back again. In that position, Van de Ven always seems a bit hesitant. He gave away a lot of space. He is more in his element when he can showcase his speed and correct with a tackle."
Newspaper AD were perhaps the kindest, giving Van de Ven a 6/10 and saying: "At one point, Van de Ven surged deep into the German penalty area, but his cross was too sharp and an easy catch for goalkeeper Ter Stegen. On a huge chance for Adeyemi, Van de Ven arrived just too late with a tackle to stop the assist provider Brown. The full-back cleared another German chance in the second half, although he was lucky it didn't ricochet off a German player into the net."
What did the stats say about Van de Ven's performance vs Germany?
It's clear that Van de Ven didn't pass the eye-test on Thursday night.
However, his stats paint a better picture of his overall performance.
According to Sofascore, the ex-Wolfsburg defender made seven defensive contributions, with Virgil van Dijk (9) the only Dutch defender to make more.
Van de Ven won three of the four tackles he challenged for, which was the most out of his defensive teammates.
He also made three clearances, completed four recoveries, won six out of nine ground duels and won one of two aerial duels.
On the ball, Van de Ven completed 92 per cent of his passes but despite playing at left-back, didn't attempt any crosses.
Stats can make a player look good, however, and ultimately, the Dutch journalists who examined his game will have seen him struggling while playing outside of his natural position.
Xavi needs to learn quick that he cannot just shoehorn Van de Ven into the defence because he wants to play Van Dijk and Van Hecke at centre-back.
Either Van de Ven needs to move into the middle, or he needs to be dropped and a proper full-back play instead.
If Xavi continues to play van de Ven in the wrong position, then he's doing nothing more than stitching up the Spurs centre-back, who we all know can be absolutely top-class on his day.