Micky van de Ven was guilty for one of Tottenham’s goals in the 5-2 defeat to Atletico Madrid.
Tottenham Hotspur suffered a chastening 5-2 defeat at the hands of Atletico Madrid, as goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky endured a nightmare on his Champions League debut.
Antonin Kinsky, who started ahead of Guglielmo Vicario, was replaced after just 17 minutes following two costly errors. Igor Tudor made the big call to drop Guglielmo Vicario for the Champions League encounter in Madrid, but a couple of blips saw the experiment fail within minutes, and the Tottenham boss had to bring in Vicario for Kinsky in the 17th minute.
Kinsky wasn’t the only player to make an error that led to a goal. Micky van de Ven was also culpable for one of Tottenham’s goals. The central defender slipped to allow Antoine Griezmann in on goal for Atletico Madrid’s second strike of the night. After that, the Dutchman was also involved in a controversial incident during the game.
Keith Hackett says Micky van de Ven was lucky to be on the pitch vs. Atletico Madrid
In the 38th minute of the game, Micky van de Ven slid in with both feet off the floor to tackle David Hancko. Although he got a piece of the ball, the Tottenham defender was rash in his attempt to win it. Referee Serdar Gozubuyuk didn’t produce a card for that out-of-control challenge, let alone a foul, leading to the Atletico Madrid bench reacting furiously to that decision.
Now, ex-PGMOL general manager Keith Hackett claims Van de Ven can count himself lucky to be on the pitch after making such a challenge on Hancko.
“To not receive any sanction for this challenge is unacceptable officiating,” Keith Hackett exclusively told Tottenham News.
“Van De Ven has come in with force, clearly endangered the safety of his opponent, and frankly, that was serious foul play, and that should have seen him get a red card.”
Van de Ven was Tottenham’s standout performer in the first half of the season. Regardless of how the team performed, he was consistently solid and made an impact in both boxes. Now, it would be fair to say the Netherlands international has royally underperformed in the last couple of months.
The 24-year-old’s ill-discipline cost Tottenham against Crystal Palace last week. The defender’s unnecessary pull on Ismaila Sarr in the box led to his dismissal, and the game changed from that moment, with Spurs ending up on the losing side. The red card against Palace means Van de Ven will miss Tottenham’s crucial Premier League encounter against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.
It could’ve been back-to-back red cards for the Dutch star in a space of four days. Neither the referee spotted Van de Ven’s late, reckless challenge on Hancko, nor the VAR advised Serdar Gozubuyuk to have a look at the pitch-side monitor. Truly, the left-footed central defender can count his blessings, and no sanction at the Wanda Metropolitano means Van de Ven will be available for the return leg against Atletico next week.