Micky van de Ven was superb in Tottenham’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday.
After Richarlison had an early goal disallowed, Archie Gray opened the scoring for Tottenham with a close-range header.
The Brazilian had another goal chalked off in the 75th minute, but Spurs comfortably saw out the game to record their seventh Premier League win of the season.
The result moves Tottenham up to 11th in the table, and they have closed out a rollercoaster year with an impressive win against a side that started the day five places above them.
Van de Ven had a tough battle against Jean-Philippe Mateta, but the Dutch centre-back was imperious when defending against the striker.
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Micky Van de Ven delivers captain’s performance for Tottenham
With Cristian Romero suspended after his red card against Liverpool, Van de Ven wore the armband for Spurs on Sunday.
Despite the underperformance of many players under Frank, Van de Ven has been Tottenham’s best player this season and has remained blameless for the majority of their poor performances.
Against Palace, he won 100 per cent of his ground duels as Spurs returned to winning ways on the road.
According to FotMob, Van de Ven had won just 38 per cent of his aerial duels prior to the win at Selhurst Park, a figure which is exceptionally low among Premier League centre-backs.
However, against a striker as dangerous as Mateta, who has registered the second-highest xG in the league this season (10.4), he seemed at ease with the threat he posed and made a total of six headed appearances.
Tottenham have never lost consecutive away games to Palace, and the 24-year-old ensured that record wouldn’t be broken in Spurs’ last match of 2025.
The Dutch defender has proved himself to be one of Tottenham’s best signings in the last decade, and there’s no reason to suggest why he shouldn’t be the club captain.
Micky van de Ven shows why he should be the Tottenham captain
Tottenham have a problem when it comes to their discipline as a whole, and the likes of Romero and Richarlison could learn from Van de Ven.
The Argentine is known for his hot-headed nature, and while it can prove to be useful at times, it’s often a liability.
Romero is tarnishing his reputation as the captain as he continues to face suspensions and miss crucial games that Spurs need him for.
Van de Ven has featured in every top-flight game this season, and not only does he look to be at peak fitness, but he looks to be back to his best after an injury-hit 2024-25.
There is no Tottenham player who is more valuable at the moment, and Frank may consider giving him the armband on a permanent basis in the near future.