Micky van de Ven criticised for his actions after Tottenham Hotspur’s 1-0 home defeat to Chelsea
Tottenham Hotspur have had a mixed start to life under Thomas Frank. The team’s early promising performances have fizzled out of late, with Spurs winning just one of their last five games.
Thomas Frank and Co. were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Newcastle United last week, ending their dreams of an unprecedented quadruple. They had hoped to turn things around against Chelsea, end their poor form against the west London side and jump to second in the table. However, the scripts did not go as per the plan as their misery continued against Chelsea, losing 1-0 on Saturday thanks to a first-half goal from Joao Pedro.
It was Djed Spence’s sloppy pass that sold Micky van de Ven short, allowing Moises Caicedo to win the ball, drive into the box and set up Joao Pedro for Chelsea’s opening goal. Eventually, it turned out to be the winner, as Tottenham lost yet again in front of their passionate home fans.
Micky van de Ven was poor vs Chelsea
Micky van de Ven has been among the standout performers for Tottenham this season. The Netherlands international was the star for his team in the 3-0 away win over Everton last month, scoring a pair of headers from set-plays. He has captained the north Londoners in the recent injury absence of Cristian Romero, and he wore the armband against Chelsea on Saturday.
The 24-year-old made an uncharacteristic error that led to the Blues’ goal. Van de Ven was overall sloppy and not authoritative with his defending. And after full-time, he and Djed Spence were spotted blanking Thomas Frank after the Spurs boss had instructed them to acknowledge the disgruntled fans following the painful loss.
Ex-Spurs scout Bryan King has been left puzzled by Van de Ven’s actions and feels that he should’ve handled himself with dignity as the Tottenham skipper.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with Van de Ven,” Bryan King exclusively told Tottenham News.
“He was captain of the side, and it’s schoolboy stuff. It’s not the kind of show that you want from your captain.
“The way that Chelsea’s goal came about, he was central to it, both with his initial pass and the breakdown, and then also when the Chelsea player ran at him.
“He made a mistake, but don’t make that kind of show at the end. You’ve got to be above that when you’re captaining a big football club. He played badly, the game was over, just get on with it and show some dignity and passion.”
Chance for Van de Ven to redeem himself vs FC Copenhagen
Tottenham do not have much time to worry about the Chelsea result as FC Copenhagen visit north London for a Champions League fixture on Wednesday. Spurs are unbeaten in their Champions League campaign so far, picking up five points from opening three fixtures.
Frank has concerns about Tottenham’s dismal home record, and FC Copenhagen will try their best to pile their misery. The 51-year-old needs strong characters to stand up and respond to the Chelsea defeat, and Van de Ven must show he’s one of those. A lot has been spoken of Van de Ven and Spence after Saturday’s incident, and the duo must respond with their performances in midweek. The Dutch centre-back, in particular, must lead his troops well from the back if Romero isn’t deemed fit to start again.
A strong performance against the Danish giants would go a long way in redeeming himself.
