When Dutch central defender, Micky van de Ven, limped off with another apparent
hamstring injury during Spurs’ Carabao Cup win over Manchester City, many
Tottenham fans feared the worst. Van de Ven was sidelined for the best part of two
months with a hamstring problem last season, with supporters and journalists alike
worrying that lightning was about to strike twice.
Spurs boss, Ange Postecoglou, has reassured the Tottenham faithful that van de Ven
will not be sidelined for as long as last season, despite him leaving the pitch in tears.
Postecoglou confirmed that it was more of a hamstring strain than a tear, which would
only keep him sidelined until the back end of November.
Van de Ven has established himself as one of the first names on Tottenham’s team
sheet since arriving from VfL Wolfsburg in 2023. His acceleration and general pace over
short and long distances has made him the perfect fit for Postecoglu’s system, with
Spurs looking to squeeze their opponents and play a high defensive line.
In January 2024, van de Ven was clocked as the fastest-ever player in Premier League football,
posting sprints as fast as 23.23 miles per hour. Since he’s become such an indispensable member of Postecoglu’s starting XI, would another lengthy hamstring lay-off prevent Spurs from clinching a top-four finish this year?
At the time of writing, their Champions League qualification hopes may be in
doubt, at least if the latest odds are to be believed. According to LeoVegas, which offers
markets for those wagering on football, their Premier League season finishing position
market currently has Tottenham’s odds for a top four finish drift out to 3.25, with Aston
Villa not far behind at 4.20. However, their recent hammering of Villa – without van der
Ven in their ranks – suggests Spurs are justifiably priced shorter than Unai Emery’s
Villa.
With Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal seemingly nailed-on favourites for a top-
four finish, Tottenham’s biggest rivals for the fourth and final Champions League
qualification spot appear to be London neighbours Chelsea. Enzo Maresca’s Blues
have started the season encouragingly and sat two points ahead of Tottenham after the
opening ten games of the season.
Could Radu Dragusin step into van de Ven’s shoes?
One player’s injury frustration is another player’s first team opportunity. That’s the reality
of first-team football at the elite level. Romanian centre half, Radu Dragusin, has had to
be patient for his first-team opportunities at Tottenham since joining in January from
Genoa. However, van de Ven’s absence gives the 22-year-old a clear run of games to
try and establish himself in the Spurs backline.
John Wenham of the Lilywhite Rose Spurs-related podcast believes Dragusin is waiting
to “explode” into life at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Wenham believes he’s a player
that “just needs some confidence” after failing to play regularly in the second half of the
2023/24 season.
Although reports in Italy’s Gazzetta dello Sport have suggested Dragusin’s agent is
looking to engineer a loan move back to Juventus in January, he may have second
thoughts if he can become a permanent fixture at Spurs between now and Christmas.
His second-half display in the come-from-behind victory against Manchester City was
notably impressive and he was similarly reliable in the 4-1 win over Aston Villa. In the
Villa game, he completed 90% of his 59 passes and completed two possession
retrievals.
Spurs have a real opportunity to gain some ground on the top four in the coming weeks.
They host newly promoted Ipswich before the international break and then travel to
Manchester City, who have been off-colour of late, lost at AFC Bournemouth in the
league. With skipper, Cristian Romero, by no means 100% fit either due to a toe problem, Postecoglou will be heavily reliant on Dragusin to shine in the coming weeks.
