Micky van de Ven admitted that Tottenham were far from their best despite getting off to a winning start in the Champions League, as the defender gave a frank verdict on Spurs’ 1-0 victory over Villarreal.
Tottenham Hotspur opened their UEFA Champions League campaign with a slender 1-0 win against Villarreal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a result that gives Thomas Frank’s side the perfect start to life in the league phase.
The only goal of the tie came through a slice of fortune, with Villarreal goalkeeper Luiz Junior putting the ball into his own net after misjudging a Lucas Bergvall cross that was fired into the six-yard box.
Spurs began the game with energy and intent, pressing high up the pitch and moving the ball quickly, yet as the minutes wore on, their intensity dipped and the attacking patterns became flat, leaving them short of creativity in the final third.
Micky van de Ven reacts to Tottenham’s win over Villarreal
Micky van de Ven, who played a key role at the back for Tottenham, was honest in his assessment of how the night unfolded.
Speaking to Amazon Prime, as relayed by BBC Sport, after the game, the centre-back opened up on how the tie unfolded, revealing that Tottenham struggled to impose themselves after their strong opening spell, and he also emphasised that Villarreal posed a constant danger on the counterattack.
He said: “I think it was a tough one, not an easy one. We did not play well but it was an important one.
“We had a really good start and of course you want to build on that, but Villarreal are a really difficult team to play against. Every time on the counter attack, they keep the strikers forward, they are really dangerous.
“Of course you want to build on the 1-0 at the start of the game but at the end we got the three points and that is the most important.”
For Tottenham, the manner of the victory will matter little now, as they have secured three points, although the performance was far from convincing.
Van de Ven’s speaks about late yellow card against Villarreal
While Spurs lacked spark going forward, they relied heavily on defensive organisation and resilience, and that was an area where Van de Ven stood tall with an authoritative performance.
The Dutchman completed more passes than any other player on the pitch and also had the highest pass accuracy of any outfield player who featured for more than 45 minutes, underlining his composure in possession.
He was equally assured without the ball, winning three tackles, making four clearances, 10 recoveries and crucially, he was not dribbled past once throughout the contest.
However, there was one nervy moment late on, when Villarreal broke in behind and Van de Ven had to make a last-ditch challenge near his box, which saw shouts for a penalty and left him picking up a yellow card.
Reflecting on that incident, the defender admitted that it was a fine margin. He said: “Of course, you never know what the referee is going to do in that moment. I think because I went for the ball it is not a red card. I have not seen it back properly so I cannot say what I think at the moment.”