Tottenham Hotspur’s centre-back duo Micky van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke have seemingly carried their poor form into the international break.The Dutch duo’s partnership at Spurs still feels like a work in progress, with the pair being inconsistent so far this season.Their display in the 3-2 loss against Aston Villa was particularly concerning, with Roberto De Zerbi being extremely critical of the first two goals Tottenham conceded.Spurs Web previously covered that Van Hecke came under criticism from the Dutch media for his performance in the Nations League draw against Germany.Former PSV Eindhoven and Ajax star Kenneth Perez said about the Tottenham man: “Van Hecke was truly incredibly poor in every way. On the ball, he is a real nightmare. If the ball is right in front of him and there is a player in his line of sight, he manages just fine.“But if something needs to happen that is a bit unforeseen, he really has no idea. He just shoots the ball off somewhere. I don’t know how far Timber is? But that would really be an improvement for the Dutch national team.”It turns out that his Spurs centre-back partner did not do too much better against the Germans.Photo by Dijks Media/MB Media/Getty ImagesTottenham’s Micky van de Ven criticised for his display at left-backVan de Ven reverted to his usual left-back position for his national side, but the Tottenham captain’s performance did not impress the press in his home country.Voetbal International gave the Dutchman just a 5.5 for his display in the 1-1 draw, while SoccerNews was even harsher, scoring his performance a 5/10.The latter said about Van de Ven: “Xavi also made the mistake Koeman made: using Van de Ven as a left-back. Totally absent for the 0-1. Also struggled immensely on the ball. Just like Van Hecke, he could not turn around his mediocre start for Spurs in the national team.”Voetbal Primeur rated the former Wolfsburg man at 5.5 and wrote: “At Spurs he forms a duo with Van Hecke, but in the national team he plays as a left-back again. In that position, Van de Ven always seems a bit hesitant. He gave away a lot of space. He is more in his element when he can showcase his speed and correct with a tackle.”M. van de VenTottenham – Premier League (2026 – 2027)Appearances4Average Rating6.80Pass Accuracy (%)95.00Tackles5Blocks0Interceptions3Duels Won21Stats correct as of 25 September 2026.Is this evidence that the Spurs players are lacking in confidence?Van Hecke was arguably the Netherlands’ best player at the World Cup, while Van de Ven was also nearly flawless. The fact that both players have turned in such poor displays in the first Nations League fixture is perhaps a sign that they are both short of confidence, due to the results at Tottenham.The biggest challenge that now faces De Zerbi is restoring the belief of his players so that they can express themselves on the pitch.M. van de VenTottenham – Premier League (2026 – 2027)Appearances4Average Rating6.80Key Passes0Pass Accuracy (%)95.00Tackles5Blocks0Interceptions3Duels Won21Stats correct as of 25 September 2026.Image credit: @thatfootballphotog / InstagramREAD MORE: Roberto De Zerbi is offered an interesting solution to Tottenham’s poor home formThe post Tottenham fans should be nervous about latest Van de Ven and Van Hecke reviews appeared first on Spurs Web.