Xavi Simons and ‘strong’ Van de Ven catch eyes away from Tottenham in landslide victory
Micky van de Ven and Xavi Simons featured away from Tottenham on Sunday, as the Netherlands beat Finland 4-0 to continue their surge towards World Cup qualification.
Tottenham have had several stars on international duty, with the qualifying stage for next year’s competition drawing to a close.
Thomas Frank would have hoped his players would come out of the break fit and firing, but there was bad news for one player.
Yves Bissouma was stretchered off just seconds into his appearance for Mali, with the out-of-favour midfielder looking to have suffered a nasty injury to his ankle.
Tottenham had looked to sell Bissouma in the summer, but the 29-year-old’s proposed move to Galatasaray fell through.
Micky van de Ven ‘strong’ vs Finland
Van de Ven admitted that he is providing support for Simons at Tottenham, and that support likely continues in the national team.
The defender started on the left of the defence against Finland, and remained fairly untested until he was substituted in the 71st minute.
Simons came on seven minutes after his Tottenham teammate had been substituted, and enjoyed an instant impact.
| Micky van de Ven | vs Finland |
| Minutes played | 71 |
| Accurate passes | 47/50 |
| Recoveries | 7 |
| Duels won | 2/4 |
| Was fouled | 2 |
| Passes into final third | 7 |
The midfielder linked up with Cody Gakpo and Nathan Ake, before finding the Liverpool man in space on the edge of the box.
Gakpo made no mistake with the chance, handing Simons his 10th career goal contribution for the Netherlands.
It was a clean sheet for Van de Ven, and Dutch football outlet Football Oranje gave the 24-year-old a 6.5/10 rating for his efforts.
“Strong but unremarkable performance again from the left-back, who was comfortable throughout,” they wrote on Sunday.
Simons was not on the pitch long enough for a rating, but he can be happy with his performance.
- Read more: Tottenham star James Maddison sends Luke Littler two-word message after World Grand Prix triumph
Xavi Simons faces fight for Netherlands role
Simons might have expected to play a more prominent role for the Netherlands during the international break, but Ronald Koeman instead opted for alternative options.
Tijjani Reijnders was deployed in the midfield against Malta, whilst Justin Kluivert played the full 90 against Finland, with Simons brought on for Donyell Malen.
Kluivert presents an issue for the Tottenham man, with the son of Patrick in fine form for Bournemouth.
If Simons is to catch Koeman’s eye, his performances at Tottenham must step up a level, with the 22-year-old still finding his feet in the Premier League.
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