Tottenham manager Thomas Frank played down an incident in which two of his players seemingly refused to acknowledge both him and the fans following their 1-0 defeat against Chelsea at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Shortly after full-time footage emerged of Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence appearing to decline their manager’s request to thank the Spurs supporters after the final whistle: a 'small issue' in Frank's eyes.
And while there have been far worse displays of rank insubordination, that it was these two players - especially Van de Ven as Frank’s vice-captain - felt significant and led observers to speculate about unrest behind the scenes.
It was surely a night to forget for Spurs, who were listless once more in front of their own fans as they stumbled to their third home Premier League defeat of the season - a stark contrast to their blistering form on the road.
Joao Pedro's goal on 34 minutes ultimately decided the game after a poor Xavi Simons back pass gave Van de Ven no chance against the busy Moises Caicedo who teed up the Brazilian to sweep home from close range.
Going behind hardly inspired a response from the hosts, who registered just one shot on target throughout the 90 minutes. While Spurs remain in the Champions League spots - at least until Sunday - Frank certainly has much to ponder.
On the defeat and lack of creativity
There were precious few positives for Frank to point to post-match as he conceded that his side were second best as they fell to their third home league defeat of the season. Indeed, Spurs are 17th in this season’s home table.
“We performed badly,” Frank said. “I think we lacked energy and intensity and that freshness, we didn’t have that. Then I think the high pressure they came with, I don’t think we solved it well enough even though we worked on it, so that we need to keep working on.
“I think our high pressure, we lacked a little bit in the beginning until we got on top of it and then they went up 1-0 and we are chasing. Then it’s a bad circle where we are chasing, lacking intensity and energy and bad decisions.”
Not for the first time this season, Spurs failed to create clear-cut openings which will be a cause for concern among supporters and stakeholders alike. Here, they registered 0.05 xG (expected goals), their worst tally since the statistic began being recorded.
“I've never been in charge of a team that created that little in one game, never,” Frank said. “So that, of course, I will look into what we can do to make it better.
“But I think that's one thing. I think everything is a little bit linked. And today, yeah, we didn't hit the level.”
On Van de Ven and Spence snub
Frank was inevitably asked about the Van de Ven and Spence incident during his post-match press conference, and the Spurs boss remained characteristically measured in his response, suggesting it was not a ‘big problem’.
“All the players are of course frustrated,” he explained. “They would like to do well, they would like to win, they would like to perform well, so I understand that.
“I think it is about - which is difficult to be - consistent in good times and in bad times. That is why I went around to the fans as I did. It is more fun when we win, I can tell you that.”
When pressed on the subject, he added: “I think that is one of the small issues. We have Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence who are doing everything they can.
“They perform very well so far this season and everyone is frustrated. We do things in a different way, so I don’t think it is a big problem.”
On Simons’ omission
Simons is perhaps taking longer to adapt to the rigours of the Premier League than first expected. And while this could be easily managed in other top sides, so bereft of creativity are Spurs that pressure has piled on the Dutch international to produce from the get-go.
But after setting up Pape Matar Sarr on debut, Simons has not delivered any goal contributions in his 10 subsequent matches. Thus, against Chelsea, Frank opted instead for Lucas Bergvall.
Simons did replace the Swede in the first half, though, as the Spurs medical staff followed the Premier League’s concussion protocol after the ball had struck Bergvall’s head.
The reasoning for Simons’ initial omission? The Spurs manager pointed to the schedule, citing a build-up of minutes in recent weeks. He explained: “I think he's played two starts, short turnaround. Also, that energy and freshness I talked about, played 90 minutes Wednesday night. So that's why we decided that, and then he played 70 minutes here.
“So I think that was nothing. It's just because it looks different when you come on after three minutes and get subbed off.”
When asked for his opinion on Simons’ performances and tendency to give up possession, as he did for the goal, Frank said: “I think when players make mistakes on the pitch, if they lose a ball or they miss a pass, of course I can get irritated. In general, I'm not talking about a specific situation.
“But that's part of football. How many times have you seen a player miss a pass or do something? That happens. And that can be flow, that can be confidence, that can be everything, whatever it is. So mistakes are part of football.”