Micky van de Ven will miss Tottenham Hotspur’s crucial Champions League clash against Borussia Dortmund.
The Dutchman has been one of Thomas Frank’s most important players in the Champions League this season. He was deployed against Slavia Praha in a must-win clash against the Czechian heavyweights.
Considering the north Londoners would have been heavy favourites to win the match, even without Van de Ven, deploying the powerful central defender was seen as somewhat of a risk to many. After 19 minutes, one of the worst possible scenarios came true as Van de Ven was given a yellow card.
He was cautioned for swinging an elbow out while he was dribbling the ball out of play. While Lukas Provod did appear to make the most of the contact, it was an unnecessary act from the experienced Tottenham ace.
On the sidelines, Frank could be seen castigating the defender for his needless booking. The Danish boss shouted at him and pointed at his own head, as if he was telling him to think before he acts.
As Praha players gathered round him, Van de Van also held onto the ball to stop them restarting the game quickly, which may have drawn the referee’s attention to himself even more. As well as missing the clash against Dortmund, it also meant he had to play the rest of the match on a yellow card tightrope.
Just over 10 minutes after the yellow card, Spurs took the lead in the game. Cristian Romero flicked on Pedro Porro’s corner, with David Zima then heading into his own net.
Van de Ven’s suspension will come as a blow to Frank, speaking to TNT Sports last month, the Spurs boss outlined the qualities that the defender has.
“I think when you are a quick player, you can rely a little bit too much on your pace,” he said.
“He works a lot on his positioning in the box, which I think is crucial. As a defender, one thing is to be physical and quick and all that, but also the best defenders for me do what I call cool and composed defending.
“They are not hectic, they are just waiting, then boom, they block. That’s key. He is obviously fantastic on the ball, he can drive forward, he has a beautiful left foot and can play short or in behind.
“Also, this year he has added a set-piece threat, which I think again the complete defenders need to do that.”
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