Postecoglou defied medical staff to play Tottenham star who’s now injured
Ange Postecoglou ignored reservations from Tottenham medical staff and fielded Micky van de Ven against Chelsea last month, according to The Athletic.
The report shared on 23 January details that anonymous Spurs staff have claimed while van de Ven was a doubt for the home fixture on 8 December, the centre-half was ready to play around 60 minutes.
Postecoglou kept the 23-year-old on the pitch for 79 minutes in the eventual 4-3 defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, having missed over a month with his thigh injury, and van de Ven has not featured since after aggravating the issue.
Tottenham miss van de Ven more than most
Postecoglou deserves some sympathy, to a degree. A situation in which a player has only had a couple of full training sessions and is doubtful for a match is always a gamble, and managers settle on both sides of the coin all the time.
The Tottenham boss should not be persecuted for that by supporters – but it’s a bitter pill to swallow for fans who are now watching midfielders forced to play at the back, square pegs in round holes, and goals conceded at will.
Van de Ven and first-choice defensive partner Cristian Romero alike are the backbone of how Postecoglou insists on playing. The duo provide the attributes to be able to play a high line, force opponents into retreat, and therefore dominate most games.
Without them, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know how bad it is. And that’s no shade thrown towards the likes of Archie Gray, who have been thrown in at the deep end and have relatively speaking actually done a decent job.
Van de Ven is arguably Tottenham’s biggest miss. They are simply not the same side without the Dutchman’s pace, his reliability and his confidence at the back, especially alongside an excellent foil in Romero.
Postecoglou can be criticised for the predicament he and Spurs are in; he can also be very much understood.
In other Tottenham news, a transfer push intensifies for another attacker before the 3 February deadline.
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