Tottenham Hotspur are looking to make it four on the trot when they take on underdogs Leeds United this weekend in the Premier League, and while the Peacocks are more known for their defense than their offense, the Spurs back line will need to be on high alert for the counterattacks from cult hero Daniel Farke's side.
Micky van de Ven has been exceptional this season at the back for Tottenham, and while he has been overshadowed by the sheer passing brilliance and statistics of his new center back partner Jan Paul van Hecke, he has honestly been the better pure defender and nearly as impressive overall.
Playing next to Van Hecke has been beneficial to Van de Ven in multiple ways. He honestly shares better chemistry with his Dutch compatriot than he did with Cristian Romero, and it also helps that Van Hecke is less aggressive than Romero was in terms of hanging his partner out to dry.
Van de Ven will have to be on high alert against Harry Wilson and Daniel James on the counter, as the two like to go from out and in, splitting wide or going through the half spaces and finding any pockets they can to burst through and break the lines.
This season, Micky van de Ven has been exceptional at reading the game, not getting caught out, and marking players before they can even get the pass. And he has rarely been dribbled past this season with just 0.1 dribbles completed allowed per game, meaning he has only been dribbled past once in the entire 2026/27 Premier League campaign to this point.
Leeds United have a player in James who averages nearly two dribbles completed per game, and some of their backup options are also exciting in one on ones. And we all know what Wilson can do creatively and in the final third; he is a smart player who knows how to make the most of his limited opportunities.
While the Peacocks aren't going to get much possession at home against Tottenham Hotspur, they know that all it takes is one slip up, one lapse of concentration, or one over committal on the part of a center back for one of their dribblers to beat their man and feed the big Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Van de Ven's ability to read the game, avoid mistakes, and narrow gaps with his closing speed will be crucial to Spurs netting a third straight clean sheet.
This article was originally published on www.hotspurhq.com as Micky van de Ven is a bigger key to victory than it seems for Tottenham vs. Leeds .
