Tottenham Hotspur’s Mickey van de Ven has described reports suggesting players are no longer paying attention amid the Premier League’s relegation battle as “the biggest nonsense”.
The Dutch international was suspended after Spurs picked up their first point under manager Igor Tudor with a 1-1 draw at Liverpool on Sunday, leaving them just one point behind 18th-placed West Ham.
Spurs now have their eyes set on the Champions League once again, facing the seemingly insurmountable task of overturning a three-goal deficit after losing the first leg 5-2 to Atletico Madrid in the last 16.
Ahead of the match, Van de Ven disputed the idea that he and his teammates had already switched off.
“Of course I have seen (what was written),” Van de Ven said.
“Reporters sometimes say things like, ‘How did you come up with this?’ It’s like the players have switched off. That’s not true.
“They say the player is going to leave anyway. That’s complete nonsense and it only becomes a problem when people start believing it. It’s just the biggest nonsense.
“Sometimes we read things ourselves and think, ‘What is this?’ I read an article the other day about a man who was about to leave and said he didn’t care what happened. We just read this as, ‘How did this come out?’
Sunday, March 22, 2:00 p.m.
2:15pm kickoff
“It brings more problems because the fans are starting to believe this.
“Everyone involved is very concerned about the situation we’re in. That’s the most important thing right now. And if there’s a report that says the players don’t care anymore, it’s just going to be frustrating for our players.”
“It’s frustrating for me because people are starting to look at me differently. I just want to stay healthy and turn things around. I know that the last few games haven’t been my best. The most important thing is that I give 100 percent to this club.”
“The players really care,” Tudor insists.
Manager Igor Tudor said Sunday’s performance against Liverpool could give his side confidence for the rest of the season.
Sunday’s draw at Anfield may have given Tudor his first points as Tottenham manager, but he is still looking for his first win as manager.
Van de Ven hinted that Atletico’s visit was a free hit given Spurs are level on points in the table, and Tudor hopes their performance against Liverpool will give him further confidence ahead of Sunday’s must-win clash with bottom-of-the-table Nottingham Forest, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.
“Of course it’s important,” said the former Juventus and Croatia centre-back. “One good performance gives everyone confidence. It confirms good intentions.
“The players really care. It’s a very difficult situation at the moment. I think we had some good moments in the last game. We have to be honest with what we can do on the pitch. I’m happy for everyone and we have to keep going.”
Van de Ven’s actions speak louder than words.
Analysis from Sky Sports’ Callum Bishop:
It’s so easy to come right out and speak with fire and passion after showing the same energy on the pitch in front of everyone for the first time in months.
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Tottenham Hotspur manager Igor Tudor responded dryly when asked if the Croatian manager had given Spurs “hope” after reflecting on his side’s dramatic performance at Liverpool.
Van de Ven or not, what fans saw at Tottenham vs. Liverpool was a spirit perhaps not seen since the come-from-behind draw with Manchester City in early February. Ironically, this was the last domestic game Spurs did not lose before their trip to Anfield.
This is not to say that Van de Ven’s comments about his team-mates’ attitude towards their current predicament are wrong. Perhaps they are also influenced by it. But as the old saying goes, actions speak louder than words.
The level of performance before the game against Liverpool created the impression that there was a sense of entitlement around some of the players. If Van de Ven and Cristian Romero, two of the most important players in Igor Tudor’s team, are sent off at a crucial moment, it could be interpreted in several ways.
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Cristian Romero’s red card against Man United was his fourth in the Premier League since joining Tottenham Hotspur in 2021, the most for a player in that period.
One is that they were having a fight and it spilled over. The other is that they are showing displeasure and shirking some of their responsibility by not being able to play in the next game. After all, availability is the best ability. Injuries are unavoidable, but acts like this make you question how much care certain players take.
