How Spurs’ Micky van de Ven could tilt Champions League tie against Villarreal
Tottenham should be able to take advantage of Villarreal’s shortcomings in a particular area of the pitch when the two sides meet in the Champions League later today.
Tottenham have impressed under Thomas Frank so far this season with three wins in their first four Premier League outings to climb to third in the table as it stands.
Frank took over from Ange Postecoglou at Spurs in the summer after he was sacked for poor domestic performances, but the Dane does have his predecessor to thank for guiding Spurs to Europa League glory and into the Champions League for 2025-26.
Tottenham have not taken part in UEFA’s top-rate European competition for the last two seasons, but they are now close to an official return with Villarreal making the trip to North London for a clash on Tuesday (16 September).
They will fancy their chances of a result against their La Liga opponents on home turf, and some stats from the opposition’s midfielders should point to Frank’s defenders being able to enjoy their evening and help Spurs to a win.
Where Spurs can take advantage of Villarreal
Villarreal have been through some mixed form at the start of the season so far, with two wins, one draw and one loss from their first four La Liga games.
Thomas Partey left Arsenal in the summer and recently signed for Villarreal, and he looks set to feature in midfield against his old side’s arch-rivals tonight alongside Senegal international Pape Gueye.
If that pair are handed starts in the middle of the park by Marcelino, then Spurs should be excited about their chances of success due to their lack of pressing threat, with Partey’s possession won in the final third stat standing at just 0.35 per 90 minutes for last season, while Gueye’s was similarly poor at only 0.56.
With Marcelino often favouring a 4-4-2 formation, it is clear that neither Villarreal midfielder is likely to want to press up and win the ball of either of Tottenham’s starting centre-backs, who are set to be Micky Van de Ven and club-captain Cristian Romero.
| Micky van de Ven | Since Start of 2023-24 Season |
| Minutes Played | 3,710 |
| Total Carries per 90 | 15.4 |
| Total Carry Distance (m) per 90 | 163 |
| Total Carry Progress (m) per 90 | 64.2 |
| 10m+ Progressive Carries per 90 | 3.0 |
| All Progressive Carries per 90 | 6.7 |
That means that both of those Spurs men should be able to bring the ball out of their backline and progress it forward into dangerous areas with relative ease this evening, which could lead to the hosts coming away with a valuable three points to kick off their Champions League campaign.
Thomas Frank could give Spurs first win over Villarreal
Randal Kolo Muani can make Champions League history if he starts for Tottenham tonight by becoming the first current active player to appear for four different teams in the competition.
That may not be the only piece of history that is achieved in North London, with Thomas Frank potentially set to lead the club to their first ever win against Villarreal if they do take advantage of the opposition’s shortcomings and earn three points.
| Opponent | Matches | Won | Drawn | Lost | Win % |
| Atletico Madrid | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Real Madrid | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 16.7% |
| Barcelona | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0% |
| Sevilla | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0% |
| Getafe | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0% |
Spurs have never faced the La Liga outfit despite their respectively long histories of playing in European competition, but their record against teams from Spain does not make for great reading ahead of this clash.
They have won just twice in 14 meetings against Spanish sides, drawing five and losing seven, and so they will hope to improve on that record with a maiden victory against Los Che here.