Why Van de Ven's impending absence will prove costly to Tottenham

"With Micky it's a pretty significant one." Those were not the words from Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou that fans wanted to hear. Shortly before the break of Spurs' eventual 4-1 loss to Chelsea on Monday, Micky van de Ven pulled up with a hamstring injury. Having already lost Cristian Romero to a red card some 10 minutes earlier, the north London side were unravelling. Factor in Destiny Udogie's second half ref and the defence is in tatters. 

While Udogie is absent for one game, and Romero likely to be for three, there is currently no timestamp on Van de Ven's spell out. Supporters, though, are fearing the worst. When Postecoglou took over the reins, it was well documented that the Australian would implement a high defensive line in a 4-3-3 setup so bringing in the right personnel was of the utmost importance. 

Centre-back was one of the priority positions for Spurs over the summer and while they were linked with a host of defenders, including Edmond Tapsoba and Max Kilman, Van de Ven was the one Postecoglou requested. A key reason for this was the Dutchman's recovery pace. Van de Ven was the fastest recorded defender in the Bundesliga last season, with his well-watched last-ditch block in the DFB-Pokal against Union Berlin for Wolfsburg perhaps the best example of his searing pace. 

Supporters have bore witness to the youngster's speed on a number of occasions already this season, one such example coming in the recent 2-0 win over Fulham as Van de Ven chased down Harry Wilson late on. While The Dutchman wasn't the man to block the Welshman's shot, Emerson Royal standing firm to deny Wilson, Van de Ven's pace forced the Cottagers man to cut onto his left foot and allow the Spurs backline to make up the yards to ultimately deny the 26-year-old. 

Now, though, Spurs will be forced to muddle through a testing period without their high-profile centre-back signing from Wolfsburg. This could well prove costly for the north London side. For any team playing a high defensive line, they need lightening quick centre-backs to make up the yards should opponents break the offside trap. This was a key reason for Postecoglou's demand to reportedly pursue the services of Van de Ven over other centre-back targets. 

As was evidenced in the loss to Chelsea, the likes of Eric Dier and makeshift centre-back Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, the two likely to start against Wolves on Saturday, just do not have the physical ability to cover the yards as Van de Ven does. Considering Wolves are the side that have completed the most dribbles per game (13) in the Premier League this season, Gary O'Neil certainly has the players at his disposal to maximise Spurs absences at the back. 

However it's not just Saturday's trip to Molineux where Spurs will feel the full effects of Van de Ven's spell on the sidelines. Postecoglou's side have a real testing run of games looming including meetings with Aston Villa, Manchester City and Newcastle. Play the high line against those three sides, and Spurs will be torn to shreds, though Romero will be back from a ban to feature against the latter. 

And it's not just off the ball and denying opponents where Van de Ven has established himself as a key man under Postecoglou. Indeed, he ranks third for passes per 90 (66.8) of Spurs players to have registered at least 300 minutes of Premier League game time this season, while only Thiago Silva (95.8%) has a better pass success rate than the 22-year-old in England's top tier this term (94.6%). 

In stark contrast to the reactive tactics under Antonio Conte, Spurs have sought to dominate proceedings where possible and this is reflected in their 60.4% possession average this season, that ranking fifth in the Premier League. Evidently, Van de Ven has been crucial to the way Spurs build attacks this season. Fans aren't joking when they say Spurs finally have their long-term successor to Jan Vertonghen at the back. 

So even if the injury isn't as bad as initially feared, any prolonged spell on the sidelines for Van de Ven will undoubtedly negatively impact Spurs. Postecoglou is unlikely to move away from the high risk-high reward style of play that has delivered 26 points from the opening 11 games of the season. Van de Ven's absence, though, may well derail a lot of the good work Spurs have done so far particularly as they gear up to face teams around them in the table. It's a cruel blow that is likely to come back to cost Postecoglou's side.