Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven has been praised by pundit Garth Crooks after shining against Crystal Palace.
Spurs picked up another home win on Saturday but did it the hard way against Crystal Palace.
Eberechi Eze opened the scoring for Palace with a superb free kick past Guglielmo Vicario, leaving Tottenham to come from behind again.
Spurs produced a superb late flurry as Timo Werner, Cristian Romero and captain Son Heung-min all found the net inside the final 15 minutes.
Ange Postecoglou will be delighted with a 3-1 victory and pundit Garth Crooks has picked out his star of the show…
Garth Crooks hails Micky van de Ven
Crooks has named defender Micky van de Ven in his Team of the Week for BBC Sport.
Werner, Romero and Son may have scored the goals for Tottenham but it was Van de Ven who really impressed Crooks.
The former Tottenham striker noted that Van de Ven produced a moment of ‘sheer audacity’ as he dribbled past Palace ace Matheus Franca.
Crooks suggested that Van de Ven’s ability on the ball was ‘stunningly brilliant’ before offering a huge comparison.
Crooks likened Van de Ven to fellow Dutchman Ruud Krol, an Ajax legend who won six league titles, three European Cups and reached two World Cup finals.
“Cristian Romero may have got the goal in open play that sent Tottenham on their way to victory against Crystal Palace but it was Micky van de Ven who provided a moment of sheer audacity,” said Crooks.
“Very occasionally you see a defender who is so comfortable on the ball he can play almost anywhere on the pitch. Van de Ven is one of those players. I’m not one for defenders taking unnecessary risks, especially when you’re the last man in defence and outnumbered by the opposition, but the way Van de Ven drew in Matheus Franca in the 88th minute, dropped his shoulder, and went past the Crystal Palace forward as if he wasn’t there was stunningly brilliant.”
“What was odd was that no-one seemed to mention it. The only other defender I’ve seen perform this skill with such ease was Dutch compatriot and Ajax legend Ruud Krol. Now he was a player,” he added.
If Van de Ven can get even close to Krol’s level, then Tottenham will have a truly incredible defender on their hands.
The summer signing from Wolfsburg has been exceptional this season with his speed and ball-playing ability proving to be simply perfect for Spurs.
Van de Ven should be a fixture of the Tottenham defence for years to come – but he is bound to attract lofty interest from Europe’s elite if he continues playing like this.
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