Dutch media tears into Tottenham star Jan Paul van Hecke after ‘sloppy’ showing vs Serbia | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke’s struggles have continued on international duty, after the Dutchman was accused of being ‘sloppy’ and ‘not entirely focused’ during the Netherlands’ 2-1 win over Serbia on Sunday.

The 26-year-old became one of the first signings of the Roberto De Zerbi era in north London when he arrived in a £52million deal from Brighton, having previously worked under the Italian down on the south coast.

While there were murmurings within the media and from pundits that Tottenham had overpaid for the 26-year-old, it was a deal that made sense given the relationship between Van Hecke and De Zerbi.

However, just five games into his Premier League career at bottom-of-the-table Spurs, it’s been a real struggle for Van Hecke to find his best form in a white shirt.

What makes his struggles even worse for Tottenham supporters is seeing former north London prospect Luka Vuskovic wowing at The Amex, after De Zerbi pushed to sign the more experienced Van Hecke and Marcos Senesi instead of trusting the young Croat to build on his burgeoning reputation.

Van Hecke had by far his worst game in a Tottenham shirt during the 3-2 home defeat to Aston Villa last time out, having actually looked fairly solid in the draws with Nottingham Forest and Everton.

He was bullied by Nicolas Jackson in that game, struggling in the air and weak in the tackle and certainly played his part in yet another home defeat for Spurs.

And his struggles domestically look to have travelled with him on Netherlands duty in the Nations League.

‘Sloppy’ Van Hecke receives mixed reviews vs Serbia

Indeed, Van Hecke earned mixed reviews for his display in the 2-1 win over Serbia, having also struggled against Germany last week, with Voetbal Primeur suggesting that he is still reeling from his early issues in north London.

They wrote: “He does not yet seem to have shaken off the slump at Tottenham Hotspur with the Oranje. Van Hecke was sloppy in his forward passing on several occasions and was not entirely focused defensively either.”

The mixed reviews then came in from elsewhere, as BD suggested that new manager Xavi would actually have been happy with what he saw.

“The central defender showed sharpness, although he never lets up when it comes to passion and willingness, which is what Xavi emphasizes so much.”

That was echoed somewhat by Sport Nieuws, who also put up a largely positive review.

They said: “Van Hecke recovered well from his poor performance against Germany. The defender looked much more confident on the ball and also made a more stable impression defensively.”

The local media may have had an up-and-down performance, but the stats certainly paint a different picture.

The centre-back featured for the full 90 minutes away at Stadion Rajko Mitic and put up the most defensive actions on the pitch and also completed the most passes with 109.

He also won seven of his of his eight attempted duels. However, there will be concern that of his 13 defensive actions, 11 of them were clearances and none were tackles or blocks.

Either way, Van Hecke needs to find the form he showcased on a regular basis at Brighton, and quick, if De Zerbi’s men are to start climbing the table.

Spurs are back in action on October 10 when they head to Manchester United in the Premier League.