Tottenham Hotspur’s star defender Micky van de Ven gave his team-mates a painful reality check before their side’s humiliating 4-1 defeat in the North London derby.
Amid a season that has turned into a nightmare, the Dutchman labeled the club’s current position in the league as “unacceptable” and named five key people, including himself, who must shoulder the burden of lifting Spurs out of doldrums.
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The club sit in 16th place, just two points above the relegation zone, and the atmosphere in the dressing room is reportedly at an all-time low.
Micky van de Ven wants Tottenham team-mate to step up
Speaking to Sky Sports before the game against Arsenal, the Dutchman pointedly pointed out that the club’s young players cannot be expected to carry the weight of a relegation battle.
Instead, he called on his core group of five experienced players – himself, the suspended Cristian Romero, goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, midfield anchor Joao Parinha and striker Dominic Solanke – to lead by example.
“If you’re a club like Tottenham Hotspur, who have such a quality venue and are, I would say, the greatest club, it’s unacceptable to be standing in this place on the table and the results have to be much better.
“Of course we still have some quality players left. We have a really talented squad and some top players, but we’ve also lost some important players for us, so it’s very important that the players who are fit now step up.”
“We obviously have some young players in the group and we can’t have them be the players we need to take us forward. So normally next to me I’d have Kuti, who is unfortunately suspended, but behind me I have the experienced (Guglielmo) Vić, in midfield we have the experienced Joao Parinha and we have the experienced (Dominik) Solanke.”
Van de Ven suspected of ignoring manager Igor Tudor’s orders during match against Arsenal
Van de Ven’s words were aimed at leadership, but his own actions on the pitch have drawn heavy criticism.
Footage from Arsenal’s defeat showed the defender completely ignoring tactical instructions from new caretaker manager Igor Tudor.
Van de Ven remained motionless as Tudor frantically signaled for him to move higher, a display of insubordination that echoed a similar incident with former manager Thomas Frank earlier this season.
This public friction, along with Spurs’ plummeting results, is forcing Van de Ven to leave.
Worth more than €100m, the 24-year-old is reportedly a target of Liverpool and Real Madrid, with the latter seeing him as Virgil van Dijk’s long-term successor.
Even if Van de Ven’s declaration of war does not provoke an immediate reaction next Sunday against Fulham, he could end up guiding his team-mates through their final months in a Tottenham shirt before a major summer exodus.
