Mon 29 April 2024, 17:00
Tottenham HotspurMicky van de Ven admitted he loves being part of the 'family' at Spurs and really feels at home here, speaking in an exclusive chat for the matchday programme ahead of the Arsenal game last time out.
The rapid defender joined us from German side VfL Wolfsburg in the summer and took no time to hit his stride, cementing his place as our first-choice centre-back alongside Cristian Romero from the outset and has continued to impress in a standout debut season in England.
With a calmness and maturity beyond his 23 years of age, it has been easy to see why he is so highly-regarded within the squad and to our supporters and it feels as though he’s been part of the furniture for years given how well he has settled in north London.
When we caught up with the Dutch international at Hotspur Way in the week leading up to the north London derby, Micky spoke of his satisfaction at his decision to join the Club and explained why the welcoming environment and team culture has given it such a homely feel.
"I’m really enjoying it," he beamed. "The Club and the people here are amazing. London as well is an amazing place and I really like spending time in the city.
"When I first arrived, everybody was so sweet and welcomed me with open arms. They were really attentive and helped me with anything I needed which helped me settle in so fast.
"All my teammates are top guys; everybody gets on really well. Even though we're from different countries, it doesn't feel like that because it really feels like a family. I feel at home here."
Watch - Micky's highlights of 2023/24 so far
After a breakthrough campaign in the Bundesliga in 2022/23, playing 90 minutes in all but one league game, a productive meeting with Ange Postecoglou and the prospect of testing his abilities in the Premier League convinced the centre-back to make the move.
Describing Ange as like a ‘father figure’, Micky speaks of the collective admiration our players have towards our Head Coach - who has fostered a togetherness in the group as well as a relentless drive to improve - and it's evident as to why the defender’s characteristics and football traits are well-suited to our all-action, front-foot system.
The Dutch international has been pivotal to our transformed style under the Australian, bringing a physicality, maturity and composure on the ball to play out from the back as well as his greatest weapon: an unrivalled top speed. The flying Dutchman – who clocked a league record 23.23mph in our 3-2 win over Brentford in January – has made a huge difference to our aggressive defensive line and has the recovery speed to outrun any attacker.
"I had a good meeting with Ange, we knew the interest from Spurs and it was good to speak to the gaffer," he explained.
"His vision on football, I liked it, to play out from the back, to play offensive football with a lot of possession. The way he spoke to me and the trust he gave me in the meeting really convinced me.
"I think he's a top manager. He's really clear in what he wants and sticks to his principles. What makes him special is that he knows what he wants and what is best for his teams, so he keeps pushing us more and more which is important.
"I like to play out from the back. Sometimes you need to play with risk in the build-up under pressure, but he gives us a calmness and trust to play like this is. He wants us to keep pushing to play in that way, to keep calm and keep playing from the back and I enjoy that.
"Obviously playing with the high defensive line doesn't matter to me playing with the space in behind because I back my speed. I like to play with the high line because it means we can press higher up the field to encourage more offensive football and that's what I enjoy the most.
"Even if we have an off game, we can bounce back to what we have to do because there is a clear focus. He's been really good for this group. He’s like a father figure who is so nice to everybody, but he pushes us hard when we have to get down to business."
Watch - Micky's match-winner at Luton Town to open his account
Despite Sunday's narrow 3-2 loss against the Gunners, the result was only the third time Micky has tasted defeat in the league as a Spurs player across his 22 appearances in the top division, such has been his importance to the way the side tick, and was denied his third goal in our colours when he thought he had equalised to make it 1-1 in the derby only for it to be ruled out by VAR for a tight offside.
As to why he looks so at ease when playing in one of the most demanding leagues in world football, perhaps it’s due to an old phrase told by his father, Marcel - a former undercover agent who is well known in their native Holland as one of the lead detectives in the Dutch equivalent to the television show Hunted - that he uses to clear his mind and compose himself before any big occasion: ‘Peace is a weapon that never refuses’ – a mantra to accept all consequences and enjoy the moment.
"The first couple of times when you are a young guy and you play in big stadiums, you are nervous,” our number 37 explained. “He always taught me just to accept the chaos and to enjoy what you see. Enjoy the people around you. Just enjoy the vibe of the stadium and then, when you have to go in and come back out, just switch on.
"Just accept everything what's going on around because you know it's going to happen and you can't do something about it so he was just like: 'Accept it.' And that was the moment that I was like, when I went on the pitch, I just felt: 'Okay. Accept everything’."
When asked to sum-up his overall feeling towards how he has performed in his maiden season in Lilywhite so far, he added modestly: "Quite well. It's difficult to say because I knew the Premier League is the hardest league in the world, you know your own qualities, but I have to keep pushing.
"I think the league is the best to play in, so I'm really enjoying the challenge at the moment. You have so many top teams in this league and there's never an easy game, so you can never drop your level and go into the game complacent against anyone.
"We have to be switched on every game. I demand maximum from myself, but we also demand that of each other as a team. You can't be switched off or you're going to lose the game. I just want to keep working hard and perform to my best level. Hopefully we can give our fans something back and end the season strong."
