The underlying numbers show Tottenham have even better passers than £116million-rated Elliot Anderson, and they are not even midfielders.

There is no denying that the Tottenham Hotspur players are starting to understand the demands of playing in manager Roberto De Zerbi’s system.

The Italian demands high-intensity football and requires his players to work hard, especially out of possession.

In possession, though, the principles are not too different, with De Zerbi often looking to start attacks quickly, and everyone on the pitch works towards achieving that.

Speaking in August, he explained what he expects of centre-back Micky van de Ven, calling for the defender to act as a midfielder in possession.

He said: “I want Micky as a midfielder at the back: with the ball, with the personality to control the situation.”

So far, the Dutchman looks to have improved in that regard, looking much more assured with the ball at his feet and also showing a willingness to take more risks with his passing.

Spurs Web revealed back in October that van de Ven had played more line-breaking passes and more passes into the final third than he did in 2025/26 under Thomas Frank.

Under De Zerbi, the centre-back has continued to improve his passing and now ranks among the best in the division.

Tottenham duo Micky van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke among Premier League’s best passers

According to SofaScore, Van de Ven ranks fifth in the Premier League for accurate passes per match.

The centre-back has a pass accuracy of 95.98% while also completing an impressive 71.63 passes per game in a Tottenham shirt this season.

Only four players rank higher than van de Ven in this key metric, with his centre-back partner Jan Paul van Hecke being one of them. Van Hecke’s passing has always been one of his key strengths, and he has certainly maintained those standards at Tottenham.

The Dutch defender is second for accurate passes per match with 82.11, while recording a pass accuracy of 91.35%. This places the two Spurs stars ahead of some midfielders, including £116million Manchester City man Elliot Anderson.

The midfielder is eighth for accurate passes per match with 67.78 and an accuracy of 90.37%. Of course, you can argue that Anderson is tasked with playing far more complicated passes, and that is true when you look at his numbers next to Van de Ven. The Man City man averages 1.22 key passes per game to Van de Ven’s 0.38. However, Van Hecke is right up there at 1.11, despite playing at centre-back.

Spurs centre-backs fit De Zerbi’s system like a glove

Numbers such as these are certainly a dream for De Zerbi, given his tactical demands when his side is in possession. Looking at the heatmaps of his centre-backs, they mostly occupy the midfield zones when Tottenham are attacking.

It makes sense, then, that they are comfortable with the ball at their feet and can play forward passes to the midfielders and attacking players in front of them. It is no surprise that van Hecke was signed in the summer, as the centre-back fits into De Zerbi’s system like a glove.

His ability on the ball is superb, and it is something De Zerbi is constantly utilising this season, with van Hecke topping the chart for most line-breaking passes at Tottenham.

Van de Ven, who was never viewed as a ball-playing centre-back, has also stepped up in this regard, ranking seventh for line-breaking passes at Tottenham.