Van de Ven’s Tackle On Isak Wasn’t Reckless – Thomas Frank

Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank has rejected Arne Slot’s suggestion that Micky van de Ven’s tackle on Alexander Isak was reckless. He recently revealed that both players have spoken to address the incident, and fans have been reacting.

According to him, he firmly disagrees that Van de Ven’s tackle was malicious in any way because the Dutch defender was clearly trying to prevent a goal.

Frank added that what Micky did was a natural reaction for any defender, and other CBs would have done the same in his position.

His words, “I’m obviously disagreeing in many ways. I think we are talking about a defender in Micky van de Ven that will do everything he can to avoid the goal. It is a transition so he is sprinting back in.

There is a ball slid down the side and he does everything he can to see if he can block that shot so he is sliding. Unfortunately Isak has planted his foot straight there and that makes it look worse than it is.

That would be a natural reaction for any defender. Put it this way, if my defenders don’t do that, I don’t think they are true defenders. I don’t see that at all.

I think reckless challenges normally, you haven’t seen any one from Micky, as I remember. He is a very fair and competitive player. That’s one thing. I also know the two players have sorted it out so that’s a good sign.”

WOW.

Liverpool Football Club is a professional football club based in Liverpool, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Founded in 1892, the club joined the Football League the following year and has played its home games at Anfield since its formation.

Domestically, the club has won 19 league titles, eight FA Cups, a record nine League Cups and 16 FA Community Shields. In international competitions, the club has won six European Cups, three UEFA Cups, four UEFA Super Cups—all English records—and one FIFA Club World Cup.

The club established itself as a major force in domestic and European football in the 1970s and 1980s, when Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Kenny Dalglish, led the club to a combined 11 League titles and four European Cups. Liverpool won two further European Cups in 2005 and 2019 under the management of Rafael Benítez and Jürgen Klopp, respectively; the latter led Liverpool to a 19th league title in 2020, the club’s first during the Premier League era.

Anfield was built in 1884 on land adjacent to Stanley Park. Situated 2 miles (3 km) from Liverpool city centre, it was originally used by Everton before the club moved to Goodison Park after a dispute over rent with Anfield owner John Houlding. Left with an empty ground, Houlding founded Liverpool in 1892 and the club has played at Anfield ever since. The capacity of the stadium at the time was 20,000, although only 100 spectators attended Liverpool’s first match at Anfield.