Ange Postecoglou Points to Tottenham Defender’s Error in Netherlands’ World Cup Draw Against Japan
With Group F already looking like a potential “group of death,” much rested on the opening fixture between the Netherlands and Japan.
What followed was a lively, back-and-forth contest. The Dutch surged ahead twice in the second half, but on both occasions, Japan’s Blue Samurai fought back to level the scores.
In the final moments, Koki Ogawa’s header took a kind deflection off Daichi Kamada’s head and slipped past Dutch goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, forcing a 2-2 draw at the Dallas Stadium in Arlington.
Postecoglou Critical of Van de Ven’s Defensive Slip
Although the late equaliser stole the headlines, it was Japan’s first goal in the 57th minute—scored by Keito Nakamura—that caught Ange Postecoglou’s attention. The former Tottenham boss was working as a pundit for ITV.
Postecoglou took issue with Micky van de Ven for failing to push up with the rest of his defensive line, which would have caught Daizen Maeda offside. Nakamura’s strike appeared to take a deflection off the Celtic forward, but the goal stood.
Earlier in the broadcast, Postecoglou had described Van de Ven as an “elite” player. However, he did not hold back when analysing the goal.
“You can see here, they’ve been running in that half-space really well the whole game, and then it comes out to Nakamura,” Postecoglou explained.
“The Dutch defence comes out, but then Van de Ven stays in. When he strikes the ball, Maeda is in an offside position. Look at Van de Ven on the left—as the ball comes out, the rest of the back four moves forward, but he stays in, and that allows Japan to get back into the game.”
Lucas Bergvall Helps Fire Sweden to Top of Group F
Van de Ven isn’t the only Tottenham player in Group F. Lucas Bergvall’s Sweden took on Tunisia at the Monterrey Stadium in Mexico and sent a strong message to their rivals by thrashing the North Africans 5–1, moving to the top of the group.
Bergvall entered the match as a 65th-minute substitute, replacing Benjamin Nygren. According to WhoScored, the Tottenham midfielder earned a performance rating of 6.8 and even picked up an assist during his brief appearance.
