View: Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven set for more peaceful time v Burnley after Fulham nightmare
New Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven has been key for Ange Postecoglou, with the summer signing playing every minute of the club’s four matches this season.
The centre-back has played 90 minutes in all three of their Premier League games so far, helping keep clean sheets in wins against Manchester United and Bournemouth.
But those heroics couldn’t be repeated in the EFL Cup defeat to Fulham on Tuesday (29 August), where Tottenham lost on penalties following a 1-1 draw in normal time.
Many first-team stars were given a rest by their manager, but Van de Ven was not handed the luxury of time off. Perhaps he should have been, however, with the centre-back enduring a torrid time against the Cottagers in his first taste of English cup action.
As per SofaScore, the youngster won just three of his nine duels, lost possession three times and was dribbled past twice on the night. On a busy evening, Van de Ven was forced into making four clearances, one interception and one tackle.
The defender’s nightmare was summarised by his own goal after just 19 minutes, with the 22-year-old shown a yellow card late in the second half.
Fortunately, the young centre-back should be in for a much more peaceful time when Tottenham travel to Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday (2 August).
As well as scoring just once from their two matches so far, no club have had fewer shots than the Clarets (15), as per the official Premier League website.
In other Tottenham news, one pundit believes Postecoglou must help Richarlison with the “weight of expectation” after Harry Kane’s exit from the club.