Why Dutch media has ripped into 'sloppy' Jan Paul van Hecke away from Tottenham

Jan Paul van Hecke continued his Tottenham Hotspur struggles as The Netherlands faced Serbia on Sunday.

The 26-year-old looked likely to be a signing that made total sense as Roberto De Zerbi looked to bolster his back line.

The price tag may have taken many by surprise, but his addition still garnered a positive reaction.

That hasn't necessarily continued in his early days as a Spurs player with several lacklustre performances.

He isn't alone in that as the N17 outfit continue to struggle to get a win on the board in the Premier League again.

Van Hecke had a chance to prove himself with the Netherlands, but has instead been hit with very mixed reviews, despite a 2-1 victory.

What have the Dutch media said about Jan Paul van Hecke vs Serbia?

Anyone associated with the Lilywhites will have been keen to get a positive international break under their belt.

That is exactly what the doctor is ordering after the terrible start to the Premier League campaign.

It doesn't appear that the ex-Brighton man has quite found his feet as his performance wasn't rated well by the Dutch media away to Serbia.

Voetbal Primeur suggested that he is still reeling from his early problems in North London.

They wrote: "He does not yet seem to have shaken off the slump at Tottenham Hotspur with the Oranje. Van Hecke was sloppy in his forward passing on several occasions and was not entirely focused defensively either."

The mixed reviews then came in from elsewhere as BD suggested that new manager Xavi will have been happy with what he saw.

"The central defender showed sharpness, although he never lets up when it comes to passion and willingness, which is what Xavi emphasizes so much."

That was echoed somewhat by Sport Nieuws who put up a largely positive review.

They said: "Van Hecke recovered well from his poor performance against Germany. The defender looked much more confident on the ball and also made a more stable impression defensively."

The local media may be up-and-down on his performance, but the stats certainly paint a different picture.

What do the stats say about Tottenham ace van Hecke vs Serbia?

The defender featured for the full 90 minutes away at Stadion Rajko Mitic.

That allowed him to actually put up some impressive numbers, despite the "sloppy" tag.

Van Hecke put up the most defensive actions on the pitch with 10 and also completed the most passes with 109.

He also showed his quality at the back by winning seven of eight attempted duels.

There will be concern however that of his 13 defensive actions, 11 of them were clearances and none were tackles or blocks.

That could point towards a stroke of luck of being in the right place at the right time to clear, rather than showing any true quality.

There will also be concern that only seven of his 109 passes were into the final third, representing just 6.4 per cent.

These stats certainly represent drawbacks to his game, especially when featuring in sides managed by De Zerbi and Xavi.

That is exactly why the Dutch outlets are right to be mixed in their opinion as van Hecke continues to raise questions.