Tottenham boss Thomas Frank hits back at Arne Slot’s claim over Micky van de Ven’s ‘reckless’ tackle on Alexander Isak.
Alexander Isak has undergone surgery on a broken leg, which he sustained during Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, after a challenge from Micky van de Ven.
The Spurs defender caught Alexander Isak when attempting to block the striker’s shot in the box, which ended in the back of the net, with the Sweden international’s leg twisting under the weight of the challenge. As a result of the challenge, the Liverpool forward limped off the pitch with the physio’s aid, and he will now miss at least a couple of months after undergoing surgery for a fractured ankle.
The operation was successful, but Liverpool boss Arne Slot was angry over Van de Ven’s challenge. He felt it was a “reckless challenge” and was even more dangerous than Xavi Simons’ on Virgil van Dijk that saw the Spurs playmaker sent off after a VAR review.
Alexander Isak suffered a broken leg from this tackle by Micky van de Ven on Saturday
Alexander Isak suffered a broken leg from this tackle by Micky van de Ven on Saturday
Thomas Frank comes to the defence of Micky van de Ven over his challenge that caused Alexander Isak injury
During a press conference on Tuesday, Thomas Frank took the opportunity to come out in support of Van de Ven, asserting it was the type of challenge a defender had to make to try to prevent a goal. Ending his silence about his star defender facing a wave of criticism, when asked if he agrees with Slot’s comments, the Tottenham boss said:
“I obviously disagree. I think we are talking about a defender doing everything he can to avoid a goal. It’s a transition so he’s sprinting back in, the ball slides down the side and he does everything he can to make the block.
“Unfortunately, Isak’s planted his foot straight there and that makes it look worse than it is. I think that’s a natural reaction for any defender. Put it this way, if my defenders don’t do that, then I don’t think they are true defenders.
“I think reckless challenges, you haven’t seen one from Micky. He’s a very fair and competitive player.”
Tottenham need Van de Ven to step up vs. Crystal Palace
Tottenham saw two red cards in the 2-1 defeat to Liverpool. After Xavi Simons was sent off in the first half for a late challenge on Van Dijk, skipper Cristian Romero was shown a second yellow card for a scuffle with Ibrahima Konate deep into stoppage time. As a result, Romero will now miss the trip to Crystal Palace on 28 December, massively weakening the Spurs’ defence.
Frank will be relieved that Van de Ven managed to escape a red card for his challenge on Isak, and that he will have at least one of his first-choice centre-back pairing available for the London derby at Selhurst Park. Kevin Danso appears likely to replace Romero in central defence, and with Tottenham looking to get back to winning ways against Crystal Palace after back-to-back defeats in the league, they will require Van de Ven to have a top performance at the weekend.