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Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank has now opened up on the conversation he had with Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence following their snubbing him in the aftermath of the Chelsea defeat.
Tottenham Hotspur’s defeat against Chelsea at the weekend in the Premier League was a tough one to take for the Lilywhites, who had hoped to use the fixture as a statement of progress under Thomas Frank.
Supporters were left disappointed by the performance of their team at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with many booing both the players and the manager off the pitch at full-time.
The players themselves were visibly caught up in the emotions of the game, with Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence seen appearing to snub Frank as he looked to approach them, an exchange that left sections of the Tottenham fanbase appalled.
Thomas Frank addresses Micky Van de Ven and Djed Spence situation
Spurs fans had speculated that Thomas Frank was beginning to lose the dressing room following the incident, but the Tottenham boss has now addressed the situation, offering clarity on what actually took place after the final whistle.
Speaking to the club’s official website, Frank explained that the issue was discussed internally and that he remains fully supportive of both players, stressing that there is no division in the camp.
He said: “Micky and Djed came into my office yesterday, unprompted. And just said: ‘Want to say sorry for the situation.’
“They didn’t want it to look bad or disrespectful or all of the kind of perceptions you can get in this beautiful media world. That was not the intention at all towards me or the team or the club. They were just frustrated with the performance, the loss and the booing during the game.
“If they didn’t come in, of course, I had to ask them about the situation they were walking in, what they were feeling, why they were doing it, because we all have a perception. And we are very, very good to have that strong [opinion].
“That’s because they… whatever, because their mom wasn’t well, or they didn’t like the head coach, or they were irritated with the performance, or it’s because they lost, or whatever’. We’re very, very good at that. None of us knows.
“So that would be my first question to them. How were they and why? Of course, I’m happy, because I knew the question would come today, that they were coming in, and that means they care. I think that’s very good. They care about the team, the club. In this case, me.
“I’m happy with that. So that was very good. Then we just had a good talk about a lot of things. And like with everything, we keep it internally. Like I said to the players when I said that before, it will be very, very, very unusual if I ever throw a player under the bus. We’re all humans, but I’ll always protect them.”
Tottenham must respond against Copenhagen in Champions League
Attention now turns to the Champions League, where Tottenham will host Copenhagen in their next fixture, and Frank will be hoping for a much-improved display under the lights at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Tottenham were poor against Chelsea, with Frank’s side managing just one shot throughout the game and producing an expected goals (xG) of only 0.10, a statistic that highlights how blunt they were in attack.
A commanding performance is required from Frank and his players on Tuesday night if the team are to get back on track and restore belief in his project, particularly with confidence among supporters now beginning to waver.
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