TalkSPORT pundit sheds light on the Djed Spence and Micky van de Ven snub to Thomas Frank after Tottenham Hotspur’s loss to Chelsea
Tottenham Hotspur were beaten 1-0 by Chelsea in north London at the weekend, which saw them drop out of the top four places. Joao Pedro scored the only goal of the contest, as the Lilywhites were beaten again at home.
Thomas Frank’s side were nowhere near their best, and it was arguably their worst performance of the season. The 34th-minute Joao Pedro strike failed to spark the hosts into life and it was Chelsea who looked likelier to score again. Despite creating many chances, the Blues managed just one goal which eventually turned out to be winner.
The Danish tactician was brutally honest in his post-match presser, admitting that his side were second best in every department against Chelsea. More than the defeat, though, one incident involving Djed Spence and Micky van de Ven has garnered a lot of attention.
Tottenham fans booed their team off at the final whistle before Djed Spence and Micky van de Ven appeared to ignore Thomas Frank’s request to acknowledge the supporters. As the pair stormed straight down the tunnel, Frank applauded the fans to a mixed reaction. The Spurs boss downplayed the situation when asked about the incident in the post-match press conference, defending the pair for their antics.
Tony Cascarino sheds light on the Spence and Van de Ven snub to Frank incident
Van de Ven was the Tottenham hero in the 3-0 win at Everton last month, scoring a brace, while Spence’s performances have made him a mainstay in Frank’s XI this season. However, the defensive duo have made the headlines for the wrong reasons after the match against Chelsea.
Speaking live on talkSPORT, Tony Cascarino shed light on the situation and explained what Frank will do next.
“The reaction of Frank is very different, and it doesn’t look good at all. You can clearly see he is not happy with their reaction.
“These were the two that were involved with the way the goal was conceded, and I’m not ok with that. I think Frank will move on from it as there are bigger issues to address.”
It is apparent that both Spence and Van de Ven were enraged by the defeat, completely avoiding Frank when he came to acknowledge them. Instead of shaking hands with the gaffer, speak about what went wrong and clapping the supporters for their constant support, the pair stormed down the tunnel. They were at fault for the only goal of the game scored by Pedro, and their actions have certainly not gone down well within the fanbase.
Considering how poor Tottenham were against the Blues, and especially both Spence and Van de Ven, the least the fans expected them is to stay on the pitch and recognise their unwavering support. The north Londoners are next in action against FC Copenhagen in the Champions League in midweek, and this fixture presents the perfect opportunity for the defensive duo to redeem themselves.