Micky van de Ven has had mixed reviews from his latest performance for the Netherlands
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Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven has been called out by national media following his latest performance for the Netherlands.
The Oranje played out a 1-1 draw against Poland in their World Cup qualifying clash on Friday. The result was enough to all but secure Ronald Koeman’s side in the tournament next year but some individual performances far from convinced local press.
Oranje need just one point from their upcoming clash with Lithuania to mathematically secure their spot at the 2026 World Cup. However, even if they lose their last game, closest opponents Poland would need a hefty win over Malta to oversee the current 13-goal difference between the two.
Van de Ven played at left-back against the Poles, as he has done for the last few international camps, but his efforts drew contrasting reviews from the media.
Micky van de Ven slammed by Dutch media for Poland display
Van de Ven was awarded a 7/10 rating by Voetbal International - the highest of their defensive scores. However, other outlets were not as generous with their analysis.
Football Oranje docked him a point, issuing a 6/10 rating with a positive and negative take from his performance.
“One excellent run forward in the first half drew a dangerous foul and he looked good when on the ball. Was given trouble at times by Matty Cash but overall played okay.
Van den Ven’s struggle to deal with Aston Villa star Cash also cropped up in a review from Voetbal Primeur, who could only award the Spurs man a 5/10 rating.
“In the first half, the left-footer launched his trademark rush, crossing the entire pitch just like he did in his wonder goal for Tottenham Hotspur. This is in stark contrast to the rest of his performance.
“Van de Ven repeatedly lost Matty Cash and at times played very weak defence against Poland's most dangerous man. However, the fact that Cash was able to appear so freely seems also to be due to Koeman's flawed tactical plan.”
According to Sofascore statistics, Van de Ven was dribbled past once and made an error that led to an opposition shot. However, Fotmob report the Spurs man completed 100 percent of his passes and long balls and put in three defensive contributions, while completing the most dribbles of any other player on the pitch.
Xavi Simons left out in latest Netherlands clash
Tottenham teammate Xavi Simons did not make it off the bench against Poland, as Koeman left him as an unused substitute.
The Dutch midfielder made the highly speculated transfer to Spurs over the summer for £52 million from RB Leipzig.
Despite his impressive form in Germany, which included a 10-goal and seven-assist Bundesliga return last season, Simons has struggled to showcase his creativity at his new club. The 22-year-old has just two assists for Tottenham so far this season, which may be impacting his role for the Netherlands.