Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven speaks out on the Thomas Frank snub incident
Ten-man Tottenham Hotspur produced a dream Champions League performance as they thrashed FC Copenhagen 4-0 to maintain their unbeaten start in the competition.
Goals from Brennan Johnson and Wilson Odobert put Spurs two up and looked to have killed the game, before Johnson was shown a straight red card after VAR review for sliding in and catching Marcos Lopez’s ankle. But even though the home side had 10 players on the pitch, Micky van de Ven scored one of the goals of the season.
The central defender picked up a loose ball on the edge of his own box then ran the full length of the pitch dodging defenders, before smashing home past FC Copenhagen goalkeeper Dominik Kotarski to score his side’s third goal. It was arguably the best goal of the Dutchman’s career and a strike that will be a contender for the competition’s goal of the season.
Spurs thrashing FC Copenhagen 4-0 was a massive lift for everyone involved with the club, but the incredible solo goal scored by Micky van de Ven has grabbed the headlines for all the right reasons. The 24-year-old’s actions on the pitch on Tuesday has been worthy of applause, which is in contrast to the incident that unfolded at full-time whistle after the defeat to Chelsea.
Micky van de Ven speaks out on Thomas Frank snub
Van de Ven had come under heavy scrutiny last weekend following his actions after the defeat to Chelsea. After the final whistle, Van de Ven and Djed Spence seemingly ignored Thomas Frank’s suggestion that they should go and applaud the fans, who were frustrated and booing following the lacklustre display, and walked down the tunnel.
Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards was critical of the duo’s actions, calling them “disgraceful”. But Van de Ven insists the incident has been blown out of proportion with the Tottenham pair just annoyed at their performances.
“To be honest it’s in the past so I don’t want to make it bigger than it is. Djed and I walked off, we were just frustrated after the game and everything got really exploded by the media, it was nothing big,” Van de Ven was quoted by The Guardian.
“Everyone thinks it was the gaffer – there was nothing to do with the gaffer. We were just frustrated after the game because of a bad performance, from myself as well. We want to play well and I didn’t play well in my opinion so I was just frustrated and I just wanted to go quick inside.
“As I said, it got exploded by the media out of nowhere.”
Frank has closed the ‘snub’ chapter
Before the Copenhagen, Frank closed the ‘snub’ chapter involving Van de Ven and Spence, revealing the duo “care” for the club. And Van de Ven’s words does show that he loves and cares for the club, always wanting to give his 100 per cent on and off the pitch.
The Netherlands international has been among Tottenham’s best players this season. Not only has he been rock-solid defensively, but also the centre-back is surprisingly the team’s top scorer with six goals in all competitions. And the solo goal scored against Copenhagen should only boost Van de Ven’s confidence heading into the game against Man United.