Radu Dragusin deputised well in Micky van de Ven’s absence for Tottenham against Newcastle United
When the Tottenham Hotspur teamsheet dropped in against Newcastle United on Sunday, fans were perplexed not to see star defender Micky van de Ven in the starting XI. In fact, he was not even on the bench.
Micky van de Ven didn’t travel with the squad to St James’ Park probably due to a knock sustained in the 4-0 home win over Everton, with boss Ange Postecoglou calming down fears by delivering a positive update on his fitness.
The Dutchman not being “100 per cent” fit allowed Radu Dragusin to come into the Tottenham starting XI and partner Cristian Romero in central defence. Romero moved to the left owing to Van de Ven’s absence, allowing Radu Dragusin to operate from his preferred right centre-back position.
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And Ange Postecoglou liked what he saw from the Romania international, claiming the defender will play a ‘big part’ in Spurs’ season.
“I thought he was good, Radu. It was a great opportunity to expose him. I mean, he’s only 22,” Postecoglou said in his post-match press conference (h/t Football London).
“He’s still a young man, especially for a defender and I thought exposing him to this atmosphere and the threat, the particular threat that Newcastle posed with Isak up front, he had to be really concentrated and I thought he was.
“I think he’s going to play a big part in our season. Him coming through that, that whole experience, will set him up well.”
Big Ange rightly praised the performance put in by Dragusin albeit in a 2-1 defeat. It is not easy to come into an intimidating stadium like St James Park for your first start of the season and perform, but the 22-year-old did. The big Romanian certainly soaked up the pressure and battled well against a strong Newcastle attack, with his last-ditch challenge on Alexander Isak the standout moment of his performance.
Dragusin didn’t look flustered, passed out from the back efficiently and communicated well with his defensive partner Romero, although a through ball from Joelinton sliced open the Spurs’ defence and Murphy squared the ball to Isak for the winner in the second half. The burly Bucharest-born defender cannot be blamed for Isak’s goal as Spurs simply switched off as a unit.
Nonetheless, Dragusin stepped in and produced a strong performance in Van de Ven’s injury absence, underlining that he can be trusted in big games and hostile atmospheres. While Van de Ven is expected to be fit in time for the North London derby, Dragusin has certainly seized his moment with both hands and repaid the faith shown by our gaffer on Sunday.
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The Romanian is going to be an important player for our club during a condensed fixture list this season when squad rotation will become extremely key.
