Roberto De Zerbi has new Tottenham tactic with underrated Jan Paul van Hecke trait

Roberto De Zerbi will be preparing his plans for Tottenham Hotspur next season and Jan Paul van Hecke will now be central to them.

Spurs are looking for an immediate bounce back from what was ultimately a terrible season for the Lilywhites.

So far, the ambition to do so has been clear and there appears to be exciting times ahead in N17.

Van Hecke is certainly one star that supporters will be looking forward to seeing in the Tottenham shirt but it may be a while until they do

The Dutchman is away at the World Cup with the Netherlands, and depending on how deep they go into the tournament, he will miss a chunk of pre-season.

FIFA also has a mandate for a 21-day holiday for footballers competing at the tournament, further extending their time away, but De Zerbi will love one thing he offers.

The new tactic that Jan Paul van Hecke brings to Tottenham

When you are under pressure defensively, there are multiple ways to relieve it, especially if you are being pressed on the ball.

Whether that is through a tackle or a clearance. However, one of the best ways to give yourself a breather is by winning a foul in your own half.

This allows the game to stop momentarily, and the players can reassess the situation they have found themselves in and look to turn things around.

And for De Zerbi, he could have that new weapon in van Hecke. Last season for Brighton, the Dutch centre-back was the fifth-most fouled defender in the Premier League.

In total, he won 43 fouls for the Seagulls. In comparison, you have to go down to 30th place to find Pedro Porro, the first Tottenham player on the list, as per Sofascore.

The Spaniard won just 26 fouls across the whole season. So while van Hecke will provide his defensive qualities, this may be an underrated trait that De Zerbi will love.

And in the footballing world where set-pieces are key, getting fouls in the box on those situations could negate the impact.

De Zerbi has already held van Hecke in high regard, stating when he was at Brighton: "He has an incredible personality, shows incredible leadership and he is so young."

Why Van Hecke has no worries over Tottenham role

While Tottenham do now have Micky van de Ven and Marcos Senesi among their defensive options, van Hecke will have no fears.

With Cristian Romero likely to leave and the future of Radu Dragusin unclear, that leaves just the Dutch international and Kevin Danso as right-footed centre-backs.

It would be quite strange for both van de Ven and Senesi to play considering their preferred foot.

So, all in all, van Hecke will likely have a straight run into the starting lineup.