Paul Fennessy
WHEN TOTTENHAM and Man United met last September, the two sides were in very different places.
Spurs went to Old Trafford that day and were worthy winners to earn a fourth consecutive victory in all competitions.
The 3-0 demolition reflected the difference in quality between the two sides’ play, even if the 42nd-minute red card for Bruno Fernandes was harsh and later rescinded.
At the time, it would not have been a stretch to suggest Spurs — five points off leaders Liverpool after six games — were progressing well under Ange Postecoglou.
By contrast, the loss saw Man United slip into the bottom half of the table amid the growing sense that coach Erik ten Hag’s days in charge were numbered.
One of the abiding images from that afternoon was Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven running more than half the length of the pitch with the ball before setting up Brennan Johnson for an easy tap-in.
It summed up United’s fallibilities and Spurs’ strengths — even centre-backs are expected to contribute significantly to their attacking play.
That factor partially explains why, even though the North Londoners sit one spot above the relegation zone in 17th, only five top-flight teams (Brentford, Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle) have scored more Premier League goals this season.
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Another telling stat is that of the 31 league fixtures Spurs have played since that win at Old Trafford, Van de Ven has completed 90 minutes in just three — the most recent of which was in October 2024.
At the beginning of the Postecoglou era, the Australian looked like he could turn Spurs into title contenders.
But since then, they have never come close to matching the remarkable run of eight wins and two draws from Postecoglou’s first 10 league matches.
Van de Ven completed 90 minutes in all 10 of those fixtures.
In the 11th, the infamous 4-1 defeat to Chelsea, the “it’s just who we are, mate” game, where Spurs continued playing a high line despite being reduced to nine men, Van de Ven had to go off injured at half-time.
The Dutch international was out of action for over two months, and Tottenham lost four and drew one of their ensuing nine Van de Ven-less league encounters — a dire run that ultimately ensured they narrowly missed out on Champions League football come the end of that season, with Villa pipping them to fourth by two points.
Van de Ven’s injury problems have been even more pronounced this season, and not coincidentally, Spurs’ form — domestically, at least — has collapsed.
If the 4-1 defeat to Chelsea was the nadir for Postecoglou in the 2023-24 season, the 4-3 loss against the same opponents was arguably the low point of this year. The Blues were far more dominant than the latter scoreline suggests.
Like the 2023 game, there were grave consequences for the North Londoners beyond the defeat itself.
Both the club’s first-choice centre-backs, Van de Ven and Cristian Romero, had been out of action for a lengthy period, and there was a sense that Postecoglou rushed them back for the big derby on 8 December.
Neither ended up completing the 90 minutes. Van de Ven has made just two Premier League starts since then, while Romero missed another three months thereafter.
The regular inability to play their two first-choice centre-backs partly explains why only the three relegated teams and Wolves have a worse defensive record in the league than Spurs.
But Van de Ven’s prolonged absence is not solely because he has been injured.
There is a sense that Postecoglou has learned from the mistake of picking the 24-year-old against Chelsea when he seemingly wasn’t quite ready and the manager has been eager to wrap the defender in cotton wool of late.
While Van de Ven has started just two top-flight games since the turn of the year, in that same period, he has played from the outset on six occasions in the Europa League.
That is as strong an indication as any of where Tottenham’s priorities have been focused in recent months, and it is consequently no great surprise that they almost exclusively reserved their best performances for Europe in 2025.
In the 12 Premier League games since their unspectacular 1-0 win over Man United on 16 February, they have won only two (against relegated sides Ipswich and Southampton) and lost eight.
It explains why the embattled manager is widely expected to depart even if Spurs win tonight and why Van de Ven staying fit for 90 minutes will also likely be key to their hopes of claiming a first trophy since the 2008 League Cup.
Tottenham at their best under Postecoglou have dominated possession with a high defensive line.
The other options at centre-back do not have anything like the same recovery speed as the ex-Wolfsburg man.
It is why Spurs have been so ineffectual in Van de Ven’s absence, regardless of whether they try to persevere with this high-risk approach or compromise on Postecoglou’s much-discussed principles to protect their slower centre-backs, as they have done increasingly this season with diminishing returns.