Micky van de Ven: Tottenham defender says ‘biggest nonsense’ to claim players don’t care about club’s struggles

Tottenham Defender Micky van de Ven says saying the club’s players don’t care about the team’s current plight is “the biggest nonsense”.

Tottenham is one point away from the relegation zone in the English Premier League and occupies 16th place with eight matches remaining of the season after a difficult season.

This has led to questions about whether Tottenham are already thinking about his future beyond the current season.

But Van de Ven made an impassioned defense of his commitment to Tottenham’s cause on the eve of the second leg of Tottenham’s Champions League round of 16 clash at home to Atletico Madrid.

“It’s the biggest nonsense,” the Dutch centre-back said in a press conference.

“Trust me, those on the pitch, the staff and the players, they care a lot about the situation we are in now.

“We just want to turn things around and that’s the main focus for everyone. If reports say guys don’t care anymore, it’s frustrating for our guys.”

Tottenham trails Atletico 5-2 in the first leg in Madrid after the club’s sixth consecutive loss before coming from behind to draw 1-1 with Liverpool in the English Premier League on Sunday.

Van de Ven said suggestions that Tottenham players are unfazed by their predicament “brings more problems” because fans are “starting to believe them.”

The 24-year-old Dutchman added: “One day, when we read something about someone who told everyone that he was probably going to leave and he didn’t care about the situation they were in.”

“People just make things up. The only thing I can say about that is that it’s not true.”

Tottenham will be without midfielder Joao Baleña for the match against Atletico as he continues his recovery from concussion.

Captain Cristian Romero, who clashed heads with Palenha in the first leg, will be available to play while left-back Destiny Udoji and midfielder Lukas Bergvall are fit enough to drop to the bench after injuries to their hamstring and ankle respectively.