Credit: Imago

Scott Mason

Sun 29 March 2026 19:10, UK

Micky van de Ven often finds himself at left-back for the Netherlands, with the Tottenham Hotspur defender seeking a route into the World Cup.

The presence of strong defensive players such as Virgil van Dijk, Stefan de Vrij and Matthijs de Ligt has made it tough for him to feature in central defence over the years.

While Van de Ven may not care and will simply play wherever his national side wants him to, it is not exactly his predominant position.

At Tottenham, he has mainly been a centre-back and has been a key player in that position.

Just before international football, Igor Tudor did show signs of copying the Netherlands blueprint in Tottenham’s games, but after his latest performance for the Dutch national team, the next manager must avoid doing so.

Why Micky van de Ven must not play at left-back for Tottenham

Throughout his career at club level, Van de Ven has only played 17 games at left-back, with only 23 per cent of those coming in N17.

Before the international break, the Dutchman was deployed at left-back for Tottenham against Nottingham Forest.

However, he was ultimately taken off at half-time, with Tudor’s assistant citing tactical reasons for the decision.

Van de Ven, being deployed in that role, has now continued into the international break, with the 24-year-old playing there for his nation.

Similar to the outcome against Forest, there were few positives to take from his display.

Against Norway, the Spurs defender once again struggled when positioned wide in the defensive line. Van de Ven lost all six of his ground duels, a zero per cent win rate, and was dribbled past on three occasions, according to Sofascore.

The Dutchman did not attempt any dribbles, but his passing did seem to be on point. He created one big chance and was 100 per cent accurate with his long passes.

However, in the end, the Lilywhites player was rated the lowest among the defenders who started for Ronald Koeman’s side.

With Tottenham in a relegation fight, now is not the time for experimentation, and while it is a role he plays for his country, persisting with Van de Ven at left-back must not continue in N17.

Tottenham are well-stocked at left-back already

Tottenham have plenty of options for the left-back role, with both Destiny Udogie and Djed Spence available.

Additionally, winter arrival Souza could fill in on the left of the defence too.

• Out of van de Ven’s 18 international caps, 16 have come at left-back
• Only eight of those caps have been starts for the Netherlands

All three of those choices are much better than the thought of sticking van de Ven out of position, in a role that he can often struggle in.

While his pace may seem like he would suit playing at left-back, the stats show that he can fail to deal with danger out wide.