Lightning struck twice for Tottenham Hotspur after being trounced at St. James' Park for the second Premier League campaign running.
356 days after losing 6-1 against Eddie Howe's high-flying Newcastle United, Tottenham were dismantled 4-0 in a display littered with calamitous errors and a total absence of harmony.
With Ange Postecoglou appointed last summer after the dismality of the 2022/23 campaign, Spurs have made improvements and now fight for Champions League qualification after missing out on Europe entirely last year.
Micky van de Ven, signed from Wolfsburg for £43m, has been one of the architects of the revival, but he suffered a truly wretched afternoon on Tyneside in his worst performance to date.
Micky Van de Ven's game in numbers
Van de Ven has been an absolute machine in the rearguard this season and has been praised as "one of the defensive signings of the summer" by journalist Henry Winter, though while he's been largely excellent, he suffered a terrible afternoon against the Magpies.
Minutes played
90'
Touches
63
Accurate passes
52/55 (95%)
Yellow cards
1
Possession lost
5x
Tackles
1
Interceptions
2
Clearances
3
Duels won
3/7
Dribbled past
2
The table above portrays crisp passing and active defensive work, but a deeper dive into the Netherlands international's showing in Newcastle reveals just how woeful he was in the early phases as the hosts blitzed into a two-goal lead after the half-hour mark.
Van de Ven slipped after Alexander Isak had been put through on goal, with pundit Ally McCoist bemusedly remarking that the 22-year-old looked like he "had rollerblades on" after he was sent slewing into the turf when closing on Isak, trying to stop him from shooting.
The Dutchman was later thwarted in his defensive efforts once more, with his futile attempts at stopping the brilliant Anthony Gordon from doubling Newcastle's lead ending with him on the floor for the second time in just a few minutes.
While Van de Ven flattered to deceive against Newcastle, he wasn't the only underperformer under Postecoglou's wing, having been hung out to dry by his full-backs, with Pedro Porro particularly poor.
Pedro Porro's performance vs Newcastle
Porro joined the Lilywhites from Sporting CP on loan in January 2023 and completed a permanent move for £39m during the summer, and while he ebbed and flowed last term, he has been one of the standouts this season.
As per Sofascore, the Spanish right-back has scored one goal and supplied seven assists across 29 appearances in the top flight this season, creating ten big chances, averaging 1.6 key passes, 2.8 tackles, 5.7 ball recoveries and 4.9 successful duels per game.
However, his mistimed clearance accidentally teed up Gordon to score and leave Van de Ven hot under the collar, and while he made two tackles, clearances and blocked shots each while winning five of his eight ground duels, Porro was absolutely at fault for the lack of balance and fluency.
He also took just 33 touches, meaning he saw fewer moments in possession than his shot-stopper, Guglielmo Vicario, who took 50 touches.
Football.london's Tottenham correspondent, Alasdair Gold, echoed this sentiment, branding Porro with a 3/10 match score after handing the error-riddled Van de Ven 4/10.
He wrote: 'Made an important early interception to stop Barnes having a chance in the Spurs box. However, he struggled from then on, looking like he was carrying some sort of injury, and horribly sliced a clearance into his own box for Gordon to score. Came off early in the second half with whatever had been troubling.'
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With the 24-year-old defender forced off before 50 minutes, there will be heightened concern that he has been felled by a hamstring issue two weeks before hosting title-chasing rivals Arsenal.
Hopefully, he recovers in good time. But if Porro produces another performance similar to his effort at St. James' Park, Spurs' misery may well continue.
