‘Not isolated incident’ – Manager called to drop Tottenham player as criticism continues to grow

Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven is facing escalating criticism for his displays at left-back for the Netherlands national team. De Telegraaf journalist Valentijn Driessen has urged Netherlands manager Xavi to drop the 25-year-old from the starting lineup, arguing that his poor performance against Greece was not an isolated incident and that a specialist left-back such as Chelsea's Jorrel Hato should start instead.

Van de Ven, who plays primarily as a centre-back and captain under Roberto De Zerbi at Tottenham, has started three consecutive international games at left-back. Pundits Marciano Vink and Kenneth Perez have also highlighted Netherlands' tactical issues on the left flank, compounding pressure on the defender amidst Tottenham's winless start to the Premier League season.