JP on our double Dutch defensive line: “We love it!”
Jan Paul van Hecke told us how much he and fellow Dutchman Micky van de Ven enjoy playing together - but was quick to switch focus to the opposite end of the pitch when assessing our clean sheets in recent games.
JP did the business at both ends for us in a masterclass display against Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday.
Not only did he help us to a second-successive clean sheet, he also secured victory with the second goal in the second half as we ran out 2-0 winners at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
On top of that, JP stepped forward to take the ‘quarter-back’ role from the base for a lot of attacks as we dominated against 10 men – breaking the club’s record for completed passes in a Premier League game with 143.
No surprises then that he's nominated for the Premier League's Player of the Matchweek.
Asked about two clean sheets in successive games, four in nine in the Premier League so far this term, JP said: “I think it's really hard work that starts up front. If you see the boys, how hard they work, how many balls they recover, it makes it so much easier for us. Of course, we have good defenders, we have good goalkeepers, so that does also help, but I think it's about the collective.”
Asked about his partnership with Micky, he added: “We're really good friends, so it's really nice to play together in the same team. We love it. That's our fourth clean sheet and we're both really happy to play together, but it's not only us, it's the rest as well. If you see how much effort everyone puts in, it's great.”