Ally McCoist blasts Micky van de Ven after ‘unbelievable’ Tottenham incident v Newcastle United
Ally McCoist has blasted Micky van de Ven’s performance as Tottenham were beaten 4-0 away at Newcastle United, saying the Spurs defender looked like he had “rollerblades on”.
Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon both beat the Dutch defender with ease to score within two minutes of each other in the first half, with the Swedish striker adding a third after the break before Fabian Schar rounded off the scoring.
Van de Ven was by far the only sub-par performer at the back, with Destiny Udogie outmuscled by Gordon for the opener and Pedro Porro guilty of a poor back-pass for the second – but McCoist singled out the central defender for particular criticism.
Speaking live on TNT Sports, McCoist said: “I have got to say, I think Van de Ven has got rollerblades on. I don’t know what happened there [for the second goal].
“Anthony Gordon does really well, and I don’t know whether it is in Anthony Gordon’s head that he’s already been down a bit earlier. He cuts inside him and the big fella goes down again, it’s unbelievable! Where is he going?
“A really composed finish again right across the goalkeeper but dear me. Shocking back-pass in the first place, you have to say.
“What a finish again it is. The ball back in from Pedro Porro is shocking.
“The big fella goes to the ground, I don’t know what kind of studs he has got [on] there. Anthony Gordon thinks about it, by the goalkeeper, two-nothing.
“We have been speaking about [Gordon] even before the two goals, he’s had a terrific first half but I don’t know whether the big fella has got the wrong studs or wrong boots on, but he’s been all over the place.”
A game to forget for Micky van de Ven and Tottenham
Van de Ven’s struggles are encapsulated by his meagre 25 per cent ground duel success rate – losing three out of four at St James’ Park and being dribbled past twice [FotMob].
The 22-year-old was tidy enough with his passing, connecting with 52 of his 55 attempts – but defensively his display did not meet the high standards he has previously set.
Van de Ven has established himself not just as a smooth operator on the ball, but as a tough tackler, too.
According to FBref, he has won 1.42 tackles per 90 in the Premier League this season, ranking in the 89th percentile among central defenders in the division.
That defensive assuredness was nowhere to be seen on Tyneside – and the centre-back looked especially uncomfortable when opponents such as Isak and Gordon were running at him with pace.
With two weeks before their next match, Tottenham fans will hope Van de Ven rediscovers his defensive quality ahead of the North London derby on 28 April.
In other Tottenham news, Ange Postecoglou could have a “problem” with this defender after the Newcastle game.
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