Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven gave his team-mates a reality check ahead of the 4-1 defeat in the North London Derby.
In a season that has turned into a nightmare, the Dutchman has called the current league position acceptable and named five key people, including himself, who should bear the responsibility of saving Spurs from winning.
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With the club sitting in 16th place and just two points above their relegation zone, the mood is reportedly low.
Micky van de Ven wants his Tottenham teammates to step up
Speaking to Sky Sports before the game against Arsenal, the Holland player made it clear that the club’s young players cannot be expected to bear the brunt of the relegation battle.
Instead, he called on a group of five experienced players, himself, the suspended Cristian Romero, goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, midfield anchor Joao Palhinha, and striker Dominic Solanke to lead by example.
He said: “When you are a club like Tottenham Hotspur, you have this high-quality place (training ground), and you are, what I am saying, very big, it is not acceptable to stand in this place in the table, and the results need to be the way, the best.
“Yes, we still have top quality players, we have a really talented team with top quality players, but we also remember the players who are important to us, and it is important that the players who are ready at the moment raise their level.
“You have young players, obviously, in the team, and you can’t really ask them to be the guys who have to push us forward. So, usually, I have Cuti next to me, who is currently suspended unfortunately, but [Guglielmo] Vic behind me, who has a lot of experience, Joao Palhinha, in midfield, who has a lot of experience, [Dominic] Solanke, who has a lot of experience.”
Van de Ven accused of ignoring Igor Tudor’s orders vs Arsenal
Although Van de Ven’s words refer to leadership, his actions on the field have been heavily criticized.
Footage of Arsenal’s defeat showed the defender completely ignoring tactical instructions from new interim manager Igor Tudor.
As Tudor quickly signaled that the line had gone up, Van de Ven remained standing, a display of humility that mirrored a similar incident with former manager Thomas Frank earlier this season.
This public clash, combined with Spurs’ slumping form, pushed Van de Ven towards the exit door.
With a fee in excess of €100 million, the 24-year-old is reportedly being linked with Liverpool and Real Madrid, who see him as a potential replacement for Virgil van Dijk.
If Van de Ven’s call to action doesn’t spark an immediate response against Fulham next Sunday, he could be leading his team-mates in his final few months in a Tottenham shirt ahead of a big summer move.
