Jan Paul van Hecke and Tottenham’s elite defense make me feel alive inside

After Tottenham’s improbable 2-0 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, the cameras panned to a beaming Jan Paul van Hecke. The centre-back had just led Tottenham to another clean sheet, their third this Premier League season, and it was the sixth game in which Spurs have allowed no more than one goal. This much is now clear: Tottenham have an elite defense, and I don’t know how to handle the resulting positive emotions.Â

Overall, Spurs have conceded 9.43 expected goals, good for a 1.35 xGC per 90 minutes. That solid performance places them as the fifth-stingiest defense in the Premier League. But back out their horrific opening day performance against Brentford and Tottenham are suddenly elite.

In defense that day, Spurs were missing World Cup winner Pedro Porro and an injured Mickey van de Ven. Breakout World Cup star Jedd Spence was on his way to Italy. In the midfield, Sandro Tonali was recruited to be a box-to-box stalwart, but he had possibly the worst match of his career. Consequently, Tottenham conceded 3.96 expected goals, on par with your local beer league team.

In the ensuing seven league games, Spurs have conceded just 5.47 xGC, or 0.78 xGC per 90 minutes. For context, Arsenal have indisputably the best defense in England and arguably the best in Europe. They’ve recorded 0.79 xGC per 90 this season. Tottenham’s resurgent defense is led by Van Hecke, the do-it-all Dutch star.Â

Jan Paul van Hecke is finally living up to his £52 million transfer fee

After a rough debut in a Spurs shirt, van Hecke’s stats, per DataMB, indicate an all-round beast:

Passes completed - 87th percentile

Forward pass completion - 63rd percentile

Progressive passes completed - 98th percentile

Progressive carries - 99th percentile

To be fair, van Hecke’s individual defensive metrics aren't that strong. He sits in just the 39th percentile in duels won, for example, but sitting below him in that category is Luka Vuskovic, the ballyhooed centre-back that Tottenham essentially traded to Brighton for van Hecke. In almost identical minutes, Vuskovic laps van Hecke only in aerial duels won, a role that van Hecke isn’t asked to fill in manager Roberto De Zerbi’s possession-based system. van Hecke's ability to control possession is major reason why the defense is so solid.

More than stats, though, why I am considering getting a van Hecke tattoo is a stop he made against Coventry City. It’s a moment already forgotten in the 3-1 victory, but when the result was still in the balance the ball bounced around in front of Tottenham’s net. It looked like it would fall to the feet of a Coventry attacker, but van Hecke launched his body into the scrum and headed the ball away, ending the threat. He does whatever it takes to win.

It’s a far cry from January 19, 2025. On that dreary day away at Everton, then-manager Ange Postecoglu started a back three of Ben Davies, Radu Dragusin, and Archie Gray. By the 30th minute, Spurs were down 2-0 and, thanks to an own goal by Gray, down 3-0 at half. They’d go on to lose. It’s also a far cry from February 22, 2026. That’s when, led by blink-and-you'll-miss-him interim manager Igor Tudor, Spurs lost 4-1 to Arsenal in one of the most embarrasing losses in recent team history. Dragusin again got the start at centre-back. (He is safely at Fiorentina now.)Â

As the self-appointed xG police, I must point out that Tottenham’s offensive issues are endemic. Despite utterly dominating Chelsea, Spurs generated just 0.74 xG, yet another game of less than 1.0 xG this season. But maybe that’s okay, for it as surprising as it is invigorating knowing that, this season, Spurs have a chance to win any game due to their stout defense. All hail, Jan Paul van Hecke.