Micah Richards has admitted he is concerned by Ange Postecoglou’s high line potentially contributing to Micky van de Ven’s injuries.
Tottenham Hotspur came away with the points on the weekend from Villa Park, but it was not all good news for Ange Postecoglou.
Micky van de Ven picked up another injury and the former Manchester City defender thinks it could be a result of Tottenham’s tactics.
Micky van de Ven injury news
The Dutch centre-back has already missed a significant chunk of the season through a serious hamstring injury.
And it seems he may have picked up yet another hamstring problem in the game on the weekend.
He was replaced in the opening stages of the second half by Radu Dragusin.
Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, Richards has shared his concerns over Postecoglou’s high line being a potential contributing factor to these injury scares. He said: “It was sad to see Van de Ven go off the pitch, though. I mean when we talk about tactics and how they want to play, we give Ange Postecoglou so much credit haven’t we.
“And they play so high and it was Danny Murphy who was doing Match of the Day 2 yesterday [Sunday] and he did a really good piece on how brave the centre-backs were. And what was good is that they push really high up, they sort of go man-for-man at the back against [Leon] Bailey and [Ollie] Watkins.
“But what that leads to is a race constantly. So Villa try to get the ball quickly forward, and then Van de Ven’s constantly having to sprint back. He’s got big numbers, one of the fastest players in the Premier League. But then now he’s going to be out if he’s tweaked his hamstring again. So they play great football, front-footed football, entertaining stuff that we all want to see, but for the centre-halves, it is hard work.”
Postecoglou’s high line
It has become pretty clear the Australian has implemented a seriously high line since landing at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
And it has to be said, it is a tactic which utilises the strengths of his defence.
Cristian Romero is no slouch, however, the pace of the Dutch defender is just something else.
The 22-year-old has already been recorded as the fastest ever player in the Premier League’s history.
So it is apparent he is capable of catching any opposing forward when the ball is played in behind.
However, it could also be his downfall when it is come to the injury issues he is having since landing in England.
It appears this is another hamstring injury, which may start to become a concern for some at Spurs given it could be the second time in just a matter of months.
In the meantime, Spurs will feel there is no need to rush Van de Ven’s recovery as they now have very solid cover in the form of Dragusin.
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