Micky van de Ven backed to control Viktor Gyokeres as Tottenham Hotspur prepare to face Arsenal
Former Tottenham midfielder Sandro believes Micky van de Ven is the man who can tip the balance of Sunday’s North London Derby, backing the Dutchman to “control” Arsenal striker Viktor Gyökeres in what could be the defining duel at the Emirates.
Arsenal enter the derby sitting top of the Premier League, with Spurs eight points behind in fifth. And while recent meetings have gone the Gunners’ way, Tottenham go into this clash with one major advantage: their elite first-choice centre-back pairing is reunited.
Van de Ven and Cristian Romero are both expected to start, and their partnership has been nothing short of colossal.
A defender in the form of his life
Van de Ven has been nothing less than sensational this season. His defensive dominance has been matched by an unexpected attacking threat, with six goals across all competitions, form that has made him one of the league’s standout performers, not just Spurs’.
Gyökeres, meanwhile, is battling to return to full fitness after a minor knock, but Arsenal are hopeful he will be ready to start. Sandro, who has watched the striker closely in Portugal, describes him as a “fighter” and believes his relentless work rate will test Tottenham’s backline.
But when asked who he thinks wins the matchup, speaking to Metro via Eskil Raknes at Kongebonus, Sandro didn’t hesitate:
“Van de Ven is fast enough to control him — fast enough to control him in the deep.”
Speed, power, recovery pace, and immaculate timing, the Brazilian made it clear: Gyökeres may be aggressive, but Van de Ven is built to dominate this type of striker. Romero’s role, meanwhile, will be a physical one, and Sandro expects fireworks.
“Gyökeres is a fighter. He will fight with Romero all game long. They will be 100% fighting throughout this match. But Romero is a winner — he’ll throw his head into everything.”
Arsenal warned of Spurs surprise
Arsenal were on a superb run of 10 straight wins conceding just once before a hiccup at Sunderland. But form books rarely matter in derbies, and Sandro is confident Tottenham can stun the league leaders.
“When it comes to Arsenal vs Tottenham, I just want Spurs to win — 100% of the time. Arsenal are doing a good job, but I think Spurs will win 1–0.”
With Van de Ven and Romero back together, Tottenham finally have the foundation needed to take the fight to Arsenal on their own turf. If the Dutchman can indeed “control” Gyökeres as Sandro predicts, the Gunners may find themselves stripped of their biggest threat, and Tottenham could finally break their recent derby drought.
Time to make a statement
When you strip away the noise, the bragging rights, and the league position, the North London Derby often comes down to one thing: who controls the emotional moments.
This time, that responsibility may rest with Micky van de Ven. He isn’t the loudest. He isn’t the flashiest. But he has something Arsenal genuinely fear, raw, unmatchable speed paired with composure.
Gyökeres thrives on chaos, physical battles, and forcing defenders into mistakes. But Van de Ven doesn’t get dragged into chaos. He extinguishes it. Quickly. If Van de Ven wins his duel, and everything suggests he will, Arsenal lose their outlet, their pressure valve, and their spark. And when that happens, Tottenham’s platform to win grows enormously.
This derby will be fiery, emotional, unpredictable, but Tottenham finally have a defender who treats chaos like just another Wednesday.
And that might be what makes the difference between survival and victory at the Emirates.
