Ally McCoist hails Micky van de Ven despite Tottenham shocker as ‘terrific’ verdict shared
Ally McCoist has included Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven on his list of the top four best Premier League signings of the season.
Van de Ven endured a difficult game in his last outing, attracting criticism for his performance in Spurs’ 4-0 defeat at Newcastle United on 13 April – but he had enjoyed a strong debut campaign before that blip.
McCoist also picked out Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, Arsenal’s Declan Rice and Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister alongside the Dutch defender, suggesting that Palmer is the outstanding candidate of the quartet.
Speaking on talkSPORT [16 April], he said: “Let’s be honest about it, not that I’m saying competition isn’t fierce, but I think [Palmer] is out on his own.
“What else have we got? Micky van de Ven who, Saturday [against Newcastle] aside, has had an excellent season.
“He has missed a good bit of it through injury but he has been terrific. Declan Rice has been fantastic. Mac Allister at Liverpool is having a very good season. But dear me, Cole Palmer.”
How good has Micky van de Ven been for Tottenham?
It is difficult to argue that Van de Ven has been anything other than an unqualified success since his arrival at Tottenham – and a poor display in one game where the whole team underperformed does not change that.
The left-footed central defender – a rare and valuable commodity in the transfer market in recent seasons – has been exceptionally tidy on the ball, racking up a pass accuracy of 95.2 per cent in the Premier League this season [FBref].
Remarkably, his completion percentage remains strong regardless of passing distance, recording a 97.4 per cent accuracy for short passes, 95.8 per cent for medium-distance passes and 83.8 per cent – which is impressive – for long passes.
Additionally, the difference in Spurs’ results with and without the Dutchman is stark – of the 21 Premier League games in which he has featured, Tottenham have won 13, drawn five and lost only three. In the 11 games without him in the side, Ange Postecoglou’s men have suffered five defeats, winning just five times and recording one draw.
Without Van de Ven’s pace and quality on the ball, Spurs’ high line can be left exposed – with him, though, they are a much stronger side.
In other Tottenham news, Alan Hutton has suggested that ‘aggressive’ James Maddison should be axed for the North London derby.
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