Micky van de Ven believes that Tottenham Hotspur have already shown one strong attribute this season, even though some of their performances have not been as good as they had hoped for.
There are signs that Thomas Frank’s honeymoon period at Spurs is now ending, with questions now being raised about the Dane’s methods.
Some pundits have criticised Tottenham for being unable to create enough chances this season, despite the team’s defensive improvements.
However, one Spurs star is not too concerned with the outside noise and believes that he and his teammates have one thing to be proud of so far this campaign.
Micky van de Ven hails Tottenham’s mentality
Van de Ven, who was given the captain’s armband for Tuesday’s fixture, admitted that Tottenham struggled against Bodo/Glimt.
However, the centre-back insisted that he and his teammates showed in Norway, just as they did at Brighton, that they have a strong mentality, by bouncing back to get a point from a very difficult situation.
When asked about fighting back from 2-0 down to salvage a point, the defender said (via Football.London): “I think it shows our mentality. From our side, it was a really difficult game. We were 2-0 down and I think it shows our mentality to come back to 2-2 and get a point,” explained Van de Ven.
“Today was not our best performance, of course. We struggled a bit today. Bodo was better. We didn’t get the pressure on the game as well. But at the end of the game it shows our mentality. We need to play better than today, overall.
“We did it twice now and it shows the mentality of the team. It’s not every time we are going behind and we just want to make a comeback. That’s not what happens. Of course, we need to make sure most of the time we are in front in the last couple of minutes, but I think it shows our mentality.”
Van de Ven expects things to click into gear under Thomas Frank
Frank has acknowledged that he is still working on finding his best Tottenham eleven for certain matches, but insisted that it was normal as he is still learning about the squad.
Van de Ven is not concerned about the teething problems, insisting that every player knows their role under the Dane’s system.
When asked if players are still adapting to Frank’s way of playing, the centre-back responded: “I think it’s all clear. Of course, when there is a new manager, you need to adapt a bit and probably need some time as well. But we know what to do. So it’s not a thing that’s [about a] change of manager, of course. But we know what to do, and that’s most important.”
“Every player that comes into the team has some quality. You have some players who don’t really have the rhythm, but it doesn’t really change anything for me or for the team. Every player that comes in needs to play his best, and I think everyone tries to do that every time he comes into the team.”