Van de Ven to ‘risk’ himself v Aston Villa as Postecoglou ‘scared’ at Tottenham
Micky van de Ven is poised to risk himself when Tottenham face Aston Villa on Friday.
Spurs are in for a few days, as they prepare for the UEFA Europa League final against Manchester United at San Mames on Wednesday (21 May).
However, they are scheduled to lock horns with Aston Villa at Villa Park in their penultimate Premier League game of the season on 16 May before that.
Therefore, Ange Postecoglou is in a dilemma regarding his team selection, especially amid the increasing injuries in the Tottenham squad.
Chris Sutton makes Postecoglou admission
Postecoglou would want to give his best players some playing time to make sure they are sharp for the final in Bilbao, but at the same time, would want to avoid more injuries.
Chris Sutton believes the Greek-Australian manager will also be ‘scared’ of being criticised if he starts his key players against Aston Villa and one of them gets injured.
However, the pundit is of the view that the likes of Van de Ven and Cristian Romero may not mind risking themselves against Villa to gain momentum for the clash against Manchester United next week.
| Matches | Goals Conceded | Clean Sheets | Minutes |
| 20 | 17 | 6 | 1522′ |
Nevertheless, this seems to play into the hands of Aston Villa, with Sutton predicting a 2-0 win in their favour on Friday.
“Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou does not want anyone to get injured but the flip side to leaving key people out is that you want to go into a big game with a bit of momentum, and Tottenham do not have any”, Sutton wrote on BBC Sport (14 May).
“I put myself in a position of a Spurs player, and if I am Micky van de Ven or Cristian Romero, I would want to play against Villa and I would want to take that risk.
“But what Postecoglou is scared of, naturally, is if something happens to one of them, because then he would be asked ‘why on earth did you do that?’
“So, we know what he will do and, because of that, you can’t make a case for Tottenham beating Villa, or getting anything at all from this game.”
Van de Ven to start in Aston Villa v Tottenham
Postecoglou is already confirmed to be without three first-team regulars against United, with Dejan Kulusevski joining James Maddison and Radu Dragusin on the treatment table.
Lucas Bergvall is also a major doubt for the clash in Bilbao, but is desperate to get himself fit in time for the game.
That is why Postecoglou will be wary of risking more injuries when Tottenham lock horns with Aston Villa on Friday evening.
However, that might not stop him from starting Van de Ven, although he may still protect some of his players.
Apart from the Dutchman, Dominic Solanke, Destiny Udogie and Rodrigo Bentancur are among those who could start against Unai Emery’s side.