Premier League winner Martin Keown is a big fan of the ‘outstanding’ Micky van de Ven and his absence gives Aston Villa a chance ahead of Sunday’s trip to Tottenham Hotspur.
As Tottenham rattled off the wings during their best ever start to a Premier League season, it was easy to forget that we are still one window into the Ange Postecoglou era.
But as Micky van de Ven joined Cristian Romero on the sidelines – the former injured and the latter suspended – it did not take long for an exciting new era in North London to be undercut by a brutal reminder of the club’s miserable past.
Tottenham Hotspur host Aston Villa
Eric Dier and Ben Davies, two players who had begun to feel like relics of an old era, were parachuted back into the XI as Tottenham lost at Wolves before the November international break, successive defeats a dose of harsh reality for a fanbase who were just starting to dream of big things.
And Martin Keown, the Arsenal legend who had a spell at Villa Park in his playing career, believes that the absence of Van de Ven in particular is a major blow to Postecoglou’s ambitions.
“Can they take advantage of the issues at Spurs right now? Two new central defenders coming in, Davies and Dier,” Keown begins, speaking to talkSPORT (24 November, 11.50am).
“I thought Van de Ven was a really outstanding signing this summer. Really quick, pacey, left-footed. And that partnership with Romero was really impressive. It was one of the best partnerships in the Premier League.
“To lose those two central defenders and your playmaker (Maddison) is really significant.”
Aston Villa have Champions League ambitions
A third straight league defeat will see Aston Villa – overachieving under Unai Emery – climb above Tottenham in the Champions League places. And while Villa’s away record cannot hold a candle to their record-breaking home form, Keown is not ruling out a statement win on the road with John McGinn and Ollie Watkins in the best form of their careers.
“(Aston Villa) have an opportunity,” Keown adds. “Villa could do that with the system they play. (They are) difficult to play against. Emery has got that down to a fine tee. McGinn has been magnificent, Ollie Watkins can’t stop scoring.
“So things are going really well for Villa.”
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