Football Insider have done some digging into Micky van de Van on FBRef and the data shows why the Dutchman is already one of the best players in his position in Europe.
Van de Ven has quickly become an indispensable part of Ange Postecoglou’s side, with the centre-back’s recovery pace and his technical quality allowing the Lilywhites to adopt an extremely high line and play out from the back.
The 22-year-old’s importance to the Spurs side is clear when one looks at Tottenham’s win percentage when he plays and when he does not, with the club’s 3-0 loss to Fulham last week being a clear example of how much the North London side miss him when is unavailable.
Van de Ven’s impressive stats
Football Insider have now listed some of the numbers that Van de Ven has clocked up in his first Premier League season and it makes for extremely impressive reading.
The centre-back records an average of 6.12 ball recoveries per 90 minutes, which places him in the top 10% of the Premier League’s central defenders.
The former Wolfsburg man is also strong in the tackle, winning 71.4% of his duals so far in the 2023-24 campaign, which puts him in near the top end of that metric.
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Incredibly, despite Tottenham’s high-risk approach, Van de Ven is yet to commit an error leading to leading to an opponent shot on goal this season.
The defender also boasts of being the joint-best pass completion rate of any player in the top five European leagues this season with 95.3 per cent.
Spurs Web Opinion
These are quite unbelievable stats for a player so young and inexperienced and for someone who is getting his first taste of Premier League football.
There is no doubt that Tottenham have a world-class talent on their hands, with the 22-year-old well on his way to becoming one of the best centre-backs in the world.
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