Ian Wright has been left baffled by Micky van de Ven’s reaction to Igor Tudor’s instructions during Tottenham Hotspur’s loss to Arsenal.
Tudor could not have started off life in north London with a worse result, but Tottenham are going to have to move on quickly from their derby humiliation.
The Croatian manager needs his squad, which has been decimated by injuries, to buy into his tactics as they are currently sleepwalking towards relegation.
Roy Keane is convinced Spurs will avoid relegation, but the Lilywhites are now nine Premier League games deep without securing a win.
Relegation could absolutely decimate this squad! 😫
Who do you think would be the first out of the door in the summer?
And there is a big issue brewing at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium that Wright noticed involving Tudor and some of his players.
Ian Wright shocked by Micky van de Ven snubbing Tottenham boss Igor Tudor
After seeing his instructions completely ignored, Tudor was left furious with Van de Ven, who should have been setting the example as the captain.
This was an incident that Wright could not believe when he saw it for himself.
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“Can I say something. I saw Igor Tudor trying to speak to Micky van de Ven and he blanked him” Wright said on the Stick to Football podcast.
“Totally blanked him. That says to me that they’ve completely checked out already. This guy’s [Tudor] new and he’s asking them to push up and he just stays there. That doesn’t look good.”
When Wright claimed the Spurs players have checked out, Gary Neville could be heard in the background saying: “That’s harsh.”
Carlton Cole thinks Spurs must sell Van de Ven on the back of the incident involving his interim manager during the North London Derby.
The Dutchman has been of huge importance to Spurs over recent years, but more is expected of him and especially when he’s wearing the captain’s armband.
Tottenham need Micky van de Ven to lead by example
Sunday was not a good look for Van de Ven, who has been brilliant in a Tottenham shirt since he was signed from Wolfsburg.
Suggesting that he needs to be sold is a step too far, but his actions could be that of a player who is growing increasingly frustrated by Tottenham’s struggles.
Cristian Romero has publicly criticised Tottenham’s hierarchy following the underwhelming January transfer window.
Van de Ven may well be making his feelings known whilst out there on the pitch, but Spurs cannot afford to have players down tools with just 11 games left to save their Premier League status.