‘it’s Just Nonsense’: Van De Ven Hits Back At Suggestion Spurs Players Don’t Care

Micky van de Ven has deed backmost astatine suggestions that he and his Tottenham teammates do not attraction astir nan club’s plight and will excavation retired flight routes successful nan summer.

The defender has endured a unspeakable mates of weeks, taking successful his gamechanging reddish paper successful nan defeat by Crystal Palace and nan capacity against Atlético Madrid erstwhile he fell complete to springiness up a extremity and was fortunate not to beryllium sent disconnected again.

Van de Ven’s lunge astatine David Hancko arsenic his squad trailed 4-1 was nan enactment of a disappointment subordinate – he escaped reward – and, much broadly, his halo has slipped successful nan eyes of immoderate supporters. He was 1 of nan heroes of past season’s Europa League last triumph complete Manchester United, his acrobatic goalline clearance arguably nan defining image of nan game.

It has been overmuch much of a struggle this clip out, chiefly because of nan corporate difficulties which person near Spurs successful a relegation battle. They lost 5-2 astatine Atlético successful nan Champions League past 16 first limb and person it each to do successful Wednesday night’s return. The bigger crippled this week will travel connected Sunday erstwhile Nottingham Forest sojourn successful nan league.

There was a much-needed tonic successful Sunday’s 1-1 tie astatine Liverpool – a lucifer that Van de Ven watched from location because he was suspended – but nan business remains fraught and it has led to each mode of whispers astir nan cognition of nan players. Van de Ven took purpose astatine them erstwhile he sat down to preview nan Atlético crippled and he said from nan heart.

“I’ve seen things … players are switched disconnected aliases don’t attraction astir nan situation,” he said. “The only point I tin opportunity is it’s not true. It would beryllium unusual if a subordinate was successful nan dressing room now and saying: ‘I’m going to time off either way.’ Or: ‘I don’t attraction astir nan business because everything that’s going to happen, it doesn’t impact me.’ It’s conscionable nonsense.

“Sometimes we publication things by ourselves … pinch nan players, arsenic well, and past we’re conscionable like: ‘What is this?’ The different day, we publication thing astir 1 feline that said to everyone that he’s astir apt going to time off and doesn’t attraction astir nan business and past personification sounds this and we’re conscionable like: ‘How does this travel out?’ People are conscionable making things up and it’s frustrating for america because it brings truthful overmuch much problem because nan fans are starting to judge this.

“Trust me, each nan group progressive connected nan transportation … nan staff, nan players, everyone … they attraction truthful overmuch astir nan business we’re successful correct now. We conscionable want to move things around.”

Referee Andrew Madley shows a reddish paper to Micky van de Ven successful Tottenham’s crippled against Crystal Palace. Photograph: Sebastian Frej/Getty Images

Van de Ven was asked whether he was disappointment that fans who erstwhile chanted his sanction felt otherwise astir him because of things they had heard aliases read. “It is frustrating because group commencement making things up and group commencement reasoning astir maine successful a different way,” he said.

“Obviously, nan past games from my broadside haven’t been nan champion and I cognize that arsenic well. It’s conscionable astir important that I support showing to everyone that I ever springiness 100% to this club. And I will ever do arsenic agelong arsenic I play. If group opportunity things, past group opportunity things. Obviously group are going to judge things that are not true. There’s thing I tin do astir that.”

The interim manager, Igor Tudor, who continues to conflict for his job, will invited backmost Cristian Romero against Atlético but not João Palhinha. The brace fought heads successful nan first limb and were concussed; Palhinha came disconnected worse. Conor Gallagher is simply a awesome uncertainty pinch nan microorganism that ruled him retired astatine Liverpool and Richarlison is suspended. Destiny Udogie and Lucas Bergvall are backmost aft wounded and poised to beryllium among nan substitutes.

Van de Ven revealed that he apologised to his teammates astatine half-time against Palace aft nan reddish card, which came arsenic they led 1-0. They were 3-1 down by nan break. He went done each benignant of agonies arsenic he watched nan Liverpool crippled from his sofa but he was shouted by much than Richarlison’s 90th-minute equaliser.

“I saw immoderate unbelievable mentality from nan team,” he said. “It was a monolithic point. You spot nan guys fighting each 2nd of nan game. You’re conscionable sitting location connected nan sofa and hoping that nan guys people a extremity because it’s what they deserved. And erstwhile Richy scores, it’s conscionable happiness astatine home, screaming towards nan TV.”