Tottenham captain Micky van de Ven has called for defensive improvement after Spurs made several errors leading to goals against Aston Villa.
Spurs managed to end their goal drought against Aston Villa at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after scoring twice.
However, Spurs conceded three times themselves, preventing them from taking all three points and leaving the Lilywhites winless after five games.
It will certainly frustrate Roberto De Zerbi to see his side struggle defensively, especially after Spurs recorded back‑to‑back clean sheets in their previous two league outings, following a difficult opening fortnight in which they conceded five.
Micky van de Ven calls for defensive improvement after Tottenham’s defeat to Aston Villa
At the heart of Tottenham’s defence were Jan Paul van Hecke and Micky van de Ven, a pairing that endured a difficult afternoon as Spurs conceded three against Villa.
Paul van Hecke struggled throughout the second half against Unai Emery’s side, with the Dutchman often being dribbled past too easily when defending high up the pitch.
Also in the back four was Andy Robertson, who committed an error leading to a goal after choosing to keep the ball in play during the buildup to Villa’s opener.
Tottenham captain, Micky van de Ven, speaking to TNT Sports, has now opened up on Spurs’ defending against Unai Emery’s side, making it clear that they have to do better.
He said: “I think how we concede goals today is not good and we have to review it. I have not seen anything back, so first I want to review before I give my reason on how we can do it better. So I have to see it back first, but there are things that are unacceptable and we have to do it better.”
Spurs must maintain defensive levels across ninety minutes
Of course, the defending simply has to be better from both van de Ven and van Hecke. The pair started the game well and dealt with the majority of Villa’s threat effectively.
Van de Ven was very aggressive with his defending and covered wide spaces well, especially down the right. Unfortunately, Villa’s opener came when he was off the pitch after a head injury that required his shirt to be changed.
In the second half, though, it could have been much better from the Dutchman when defending against Jackson for Villa’s second.
The Spurs captain was beaten too easily and allowed Jackson the space to shoot on goal. For Tottenham, the focus will be on maintaining a high defensive level across the full ninety minutes.