Tottenham’s Thomas Frank has now hit back at Arne Slot over Micky van de Ven’s tackle on Liverpool’s record signing Alexander Isak.
It was yet another defeat for Tottenham Hotspur on their own turf when the reigning champions, Liverpool, came visiting to secure a result that has added further pressure on the North London club.
Spurs looked to cause the Reds plenty of trouble throughout the match with their play, but their efforts were ultimately not enough as the side under Arne Slot went away with a 2-1 win.
The encounter was certainly not void of talking points, with Tottenham picking up two red cards, while record forward signing Alexander Isak was forced off right after scoring following a crunching challenge from Micky van de Ven.
Arne Slot criticises Micky van de Ven for tackle during Tottenham defeat
Arne Slot was far from satisfied with the challenge that ended the afternoon for his striker, and he chose to highlight the danger of such tackles when addressing the media after the game.
The Liverpool manager compared the incident to the red card shown to Xavi Simons earlier in the match, suggesting that the tackle from the Dutch defender carried a much higher risk of causing a significant injury to the opponent.
Speaking about the tackle on Alexander Isak, Slot said: “I have said a lot about the tackle of Xavi Simons, which for me was completely unintentional. I do not think you will ever get an injury out of a tackle like that. But the tackle of Micky van de Ven, if you make a tackle like that 10 times, 10 times there is a serious chance the player gets a serious injury.”
Thomas Frank defends Micky van de Ven after Alexander Isak injury
Thomas Frank was quick to offer a different perspective on the incident, choosing to defend the actions of his centre-back as a necessary and fair part of the responsibilities required of a top-level defender.
The Spurs manager argued that the momentum of the transition forced van de Ven into a split-second decision to block the shot, which unfortunately resulted in the collision as the forward planted his foot.
Addressing the comments made by his opposite number, Frank explained his disagreement and praised the competitive nature of his player.
He told the official Tottenham channel: “Obviously, I am disagreeing. In many ways, we are talking about a defender that will do everything to avoid conceding the goal.
“It is a transition so he is sprinting back in. There is a ball slid down in the side and he does everything he can to block that shot. Unfortunately, Alexander Isak has planted his foot straight there which makes it look worse than it is.
“That would be a natural reaction for any defender. Or, put it this way, if my defender does not do that, I do not think they are true defenders. I do not see that at all.
“I think reckless challenges, normally, you have not seen any from Micky, as I remember it. I see him as a very fair and competitive player. That is one thing. I also know the two players have sorted it out so that is a good sign.”