45% drop in points without key defender - Why Tottenham need Van de Ven for top four finish

Tottenham fans will be keen to get back to domestic football this weekend, as their side look to put right a disappointing defeat to Fulham one week prior by claiming all three points against Luton. The 3-0 defeat at Craven Cottage was a blow to Ange Postecoglou’s hopes of guiding Spurs to a top four finish in his first season at the club, who now sit three points behind Aston Villa in fifth place but with an all-important game in hand. As such, a win will be vital this weekend and fortunately for fans of the North London club one of their star players is set to return and could play a pivotal role in guiding them back to winning ways. 

After missing the previous league clash through injury, central defender Micky van de Ven is expected to return to Postecoglou’s starting line up against Luton. Signed from Bundesliga side Wolfsburg for €40 million, the 22-year-old talent has not only established himself as a starting player in Postecoglou’s side but also as one of the Premier League’s most promising players. And in no uncertain terms, Van de Ven is already one of Tottenham’s most important players and will play a pivotal role in the club’s hopes of a top-four finish in May. 

Indeed, when we take a look at how Tottenham have played in the league this season with and without Van de Ven, we can quickly see a drastic change in form and points won. So far this season, the Dutch defender has missed 10 league games due to a hamstring injury and in those games Tottenham have conceded on average 1.9 goals per game. In the 18 league games Van de Ven has played in this season, that number stands at just 1.35 goals conceded per game. Interestingly enough, Tottenham also tend to score more goals with the player in the team, averaging 2.52 goals per game scored with Van de Ven and 2.1 without the defender. As a result, Postecoglou’s side win on average 1.3 points per game without the player in the starting line up - a staggering 45% drop in points compared to the 2.35 they average with him in the side. 

There are a number of reasons for this. Perhaps the most obvious one is that Van de Ven was recently clocked as the fastest player in Premier League history, making him a vital cog in Postecoglou’s fast-paced tactics that often require his teams to play a high defensive line. Add to that the Dutch defenders impressive technical and dribbling ability, which clearly add a dimension to Tottenham’s build-up play and it’s not hard to see why Van de Ven’s market value has risen dramatically from €30m when he left Wolfsburg last season to where it now stands at €50m. This, in turn, makes the 22-year-old talent the fourteenth most valuable central defender in the world, the fourth most valuable Dutch player in the world and arguably Tottenham’s most important player this season.