Jan Paul van Hecke has blasted the Getafe players for what they did during their 1-1 draw with Tottenham in a friendly at Hotspur Way on Saturday.
Tottenham are now ramping up preparations for the new season, with their first Premier League clash at Brentford less than two weeks away.
The club played their first friendly since returning to London from their pre-season tour, and were held to a 1-1 draw by Getafe in a match which was played over just 70 minutes instead of the usual 90.
It was a feisty affair throughout, with Conor Gallagher netting a late equaliser for Tottenham after Getafe had initially gone ahead in the second half through youngster Alberto Risco.
Tottenham star Jan Paul van Hecke says Getafe could have two or three red cards
Van Hecke showcased exactly what De Zerbi was keen to reunite with him, with the Dutchman spraying accurate passes to the forwards from the back through the game.
The Netherlands international is far from happy with the antics of the Getafe players, insisting that they could have seen multiple red cards if it had been a normal game.
Speaking after the 1-1 draw, the new Tottenham signing told Spurs Play: “Sometimes it’s good, I thought today was a bit too much from their side. Sometimes it’s not necessary, especially in a friendly. I think in a normal game they have maybe two or three red cards, but that’s also maybe the way they play.
“We knew beforehand that they can do it but it’s a friendly so sometimes you think maybe a bit less, but at the other side we need to also be at our top then because if you’re not putting in your foot, then they are going to win it.”
Van Hecke pleased with how Spurs responded to the physical battle
The Spurs players certainly did not hold back, responding in kind to the Spanish side’s antics, with the likes of Sandro Tonali even getting into a shoving match with the opposition players.
Ven Hecke insisted that he and his teammates knew they had to win their own individual physical battles, even though they did not like what the Getafe players were trying to do.
He added: “If that’s what the game asks, then you also need to put your foot in and battle with them. Otherwise they win the battles, and that’s what you don’t want. That’s the first thing in football: you need to win. I think today we showed it as well, but it was sometimes a bit too much.”
On Spurs standing up to the challenge posed by Getafe, the 26-year-old said: “You see sometimes it gets a bit heated, but that’s also because of the reaction you know. If you get kicked, you are gonna react. And you think, ‘next time, I’ll get you back’. That’s why I say it’s a friendly, so sometimes you’ve got be like, ‘oh boys, let’s be a bit calm, don’t be provoked.”