Micky van de Ven acknowledged that the second-half performance by Tottenham vs Aston Villa was not up to standard.
Tottenham Hotspur’s difficult beginning to the new season reached a new low on Saturday as they suffered a 3-2 home defeat at the hands of Aston Villa. The result means the Lilywhites have recorded their worst-ever start to a Premier League campaign, picking up just two points from their opening five fixtures.
The wait for victory goes on, however, with Roberto De Zerbi’s side sat in the relegation zone after five games played. Their blushes were only somewhat spared from complete embarrassment due to two late consolation goals from Conor Gallagher and Jan Paul van Hecke.
Before these late goals, Johan Manzambi’s tap-in gave Aston Villa the lead on the stroke of half-time. Nicolas Jackson’s well-taken strike and Emi Buendia’s belter rocked the Lilywhites. Roberto De Zerbi expressed his “sadness and frustration” after the game, slamming the defensive lapses of his team in the defeat to Villa.
Micky van de Ven fumes at “unacceptable things” after Aston Villa defeat
After the game, sharing De Zerbi’s sentiments was club skipper Micky van de Ven. The 25-year-old admitted he and his Tottenham teammates were “not good enough” on Saturday. The Netherlands star also acknowledged it was tough to concede the opening goal with only 10 men on the pitch.
“I think first half we played really well and created a lot of chances. We conceded with 10 men, and that is always tough. Second half is just not good enough from us,” Micky van de Ven said in an interview to TNT Sports (h/t BBC Sport).
“How we conceded goals today is not good. I want to review it first, but there are things that are not acceptable, and we have to do better.
“We need to stay positive. It is difficult right now because everyone is going to the international break, but when we come back we have to work.”
Micky van de Ven struggles to deliver the goods vs. Aston Villa
Even with fresh faces having been brought into the building over the summer, Spurs are struggling defensively in addition to facing goalscoring problems. Indeed, the centre-back pairing of Van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke endured a chastening afternoon against the powerful and pacey Nicolas Jackson.
The Spurs skipper was partly to blame for not closing down the Senegalese striker quickly, allowing him to take a shot that doubled Villa’s lead after the break. In the first half, Van de Ven had to leave the field for a minute after receiving medical attention on a cut underneath his eye. During his absence, Manzambi diverted a Boubacar Kamara shot past Antonin Kinsky at the stroke of half-time, sucking the energy out of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium faithful.
Overall, the Dutchman had a very poor game, earning a 5/10 rating vs. Villa. Van de Ven and Tottenham will have to wait until after the international break to bounce back, with a clash against Manchester United at Old Trafford awaiting.
