Thomas Frank reacts to Tottenham duo Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence snubbing the supporters after Chelsea defeat
Tottenham Hotspur suffered a 0-1 defeat at home against Chelsea on Saturday in the Premier League. Joao Pedro’s 34th-minute goal was enough to seal the victory for his team. Apart from the goal, Chelsea had several opportunities throughout the 90 minutes to put the game to bed, but the Blues failed to capitalize. On the other hand, Spurs registered a single shot on target in the game and failed to create any sort of rhythm going forward.
The defeat saw Spurs drop to fourth in the EPL after Liverpool returned to the win column with a 2-0 win over Aston Villa at Anfield. Tottenham are now tied on points with Chelsea, but enjoy a superior goal difference. After a strong start to the new campaign, the Lilywhites have lost their footing after suffering two consecutive defeats.
After the full-time whistle, the Tottenham squad was being jeered by the home fans for their poor performance in the London derby. Thomas Frank urged Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence to acknowledge the support. However, the defenders appeared to ignore the manager’s request and headed straight down the tunnel. Frank went ahead and lauded the fans, but received a mixed reaction from the stands.
Thomas Frank reacts to Tottenham duo Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence snubbing the supporters after Chelsea defeat.
The players’ apparent resentful conduct raised several eyebrows. When Thomas Frank was asked about the incident after the game, he downplayed the situation by saying (h/t ESPN):
“I understand why you ask the question, but I think that is one of the small issues. We have Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence who are doing everything they can. They perform very well so far this season and everyone is frustrated. We do things in a different way, so I don’t think it is a big problem.”
“All the players are of course frustrated. They would like to do well, they would like to win, they would like to perform well, so I understand that. I think it is about which is difficult to be consistent in good times and in bad times. That is why I went around to the fans as I did. It is more fun when we win, I can tell you that.”
Mickey van de Ven has long been a crucial player at the heart of Tottenham’s defense. He joined the club in 2023 from Wolfsburg for a record fee and instantly impressed fans with his exceptional pace, defensive, and aerial abilities. Meanwhile, Spence signed for Spurs in 2022 but struggled to get first-team action and, as a result, spent several loan spells at other clubs. The English fullback returned to Tottenham during the 2024-25 season and managed to work his way into the senior team.
Spurs on the wrong end of record books after historic xG low
Frank addressed his team’s poor performance and lack of creativity, but remained positive about the future, saying:
“I would say that, of course, hurt massively. I’ve never been in charge of a team that created that little in one game, never. So that, of course, I will look into what we can do to make it better. But I think that’s one thing. I think everything is a little bit linked. And today we didn’t hit the level.”
“Today was one snapshot that didn’t look good, I think there have definitely been other spells that have been better. There’s no doubt, and I keep saying it, that we have a front four that is new. We have to build together with short turnarounds in games. We’ll do that. I’m not in doubt that will happen. I think every team I’ve coached has scored a lot of goals. It will happen again in the future here.”
“It is extremely painful and of course that is part of the job to face you guys now and answer the very good questions when you just are burning inside. And you like to find solutions, watch the game back and see what went wrong, but I think it’s about trying to stay calm.”
Spurs ended up on the wrong end of the record books, registering an expected goals figure of just 0.05 against Chelsea, the lowest in Premier League history since records began. The only positive aspect to take away from the game was Vicario’s outstanding performance on the night, without whom, the Lilywhites could have conceded a lot more goals. The only way now is up and hopefully we achieve to climb up the table sooner rather than later.