Glen Murray slams ‘lazy’ Micky van de Ven for Tottenham v Brighton
Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven was not at his best against Brighton on Saturday 10 February.
Spurs came from behind to win 2-1 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as Brennan Johnson stepped off the bench to score a last-gasp winner in front of the south stand.
It was van de Ven who offered the visitors a chance to take the lead from the penalty spot inside the opening 20 minutes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
He was penalised for his challenge on Danny Welbeck inside the penalty area and former Brighton striker Glen Murray was not impressed while discussing the incident live on BBC Final Score (10 February).
“It was a good piece of play by Brighton for the penalty. A nice bit of interplay, they lose it but win it back high up the pitch with that very, very high press.
“Then the defender Micky van de Ven swings out a lazy leg and catches Danny Welbeck. Definite penalty. Pascal Gross strikes the ball true and hard like an arrow into the bottom corner of the net to open the scoring.”
A rare mistake from Tottenham ace van de Ven
Lazy is not a word many supporters would use to describe van de Ven’s performances for Tottenham so far since his £43million switch from Bundesliga outfit Wolfsburg (Sky Sports News, 8 August).
Ahead of the clash with Brighton, the 23-year-old had been the talk of the town after recently setting an all-time Premier League record.
However, it is fair to say that he was not at his best against the Seagulls.
His challenge on Welbeck demonstrated a lack of composure, something which the Dutchman usually has plenty of.
In addition to this careless mistake, he was also dribbled past once, won just 25 per cent of his ground duels (one out of four), and gave possession away three times (Sofascore).
He did win 100 per cent of his aerial duels and completed 99 per cent of his passes, but it certainly wasn’t his best showing in a Spurs shirt.
Van de Ven is one of the first names on the teamsheet in North London, and he will be hoping to put this mistake behind him when Spurs host Wolves on Saturday 17 February.
In other Tottenham news, the club have learnt a valuable lesson after a £37.3million update emerged from UEFA.
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