BREAKING: MICKY VAN DE VEN’S BRUTAL REALITY CHECK FOR SPURS AFTER FA CUP EXIT
Micky van de Ven issues a blunt warning to teammates after Tottenham’s sluggish start leads to a 2-1 FA Cup exit against Villa.
Micky van de Ven didn’t hold back after Tottenham crashed out of the FA Cup against Aston Villa. He said Spurs were “nowhere near” good enough, especially in the first half, and even questioned the team’s mentality during the game.
It was another rough night in a season that keeps getting worse for Spurs under Thomas Frank. Villa’s Emi Buendia and Morgan Rogers both scored before halftime, and while Wilson Odobert pulled one back for Tottenham after the break, it didn’t really matter. Villa’s 2-1 win sent Spurs out of the cup.
Fans had hoped the FA Cup would be their shot at some much-needed silverware, especially after the team’s early exit from the League Cup. Now, Tottenham are left with just the Premier League—where they’re sitting in 14th—and the Champions League, although they haven’t even locked in a spot in the round of 16 yet.
After the match, Van de Ven, who wore the captain’s armband, sounded frustrated. “Gutted obviously that we’re out of the cup,” he said. “First half, nowhere near our level, nowhere near where we need to be. The second half was way better. I think we showed some mentality then, but if we’d started like that, the whole game would have been different.”
Frank didn’t have much to celebrate, either. Villa supporters taunted him about being an Arsenal fan—thanks to his coffee cup slip-up earlier in the week—and reminded him of his promise to have Spurs competing in all four competitions. “Of course, that’s disappointing,” Frank admitted, knowing the pressure is on. “Everyone knows the only way to keep people happy is to perform consistently and win enough games. That’s it.”
He pointed to the second half, saying, “You could see the energy, how the players and the fans fed off each other. It was fantastic to be in the middle of it. But we couldn’t find that comeback, which sometimes sparks a run. That’s what we’re working so hard for.”
Now, Spurs have a week to get ready for their next league game against West Ham, followed by a Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund just a few days later.
Frank should have Dominic Solanke available after his return against Villa—the striker’s first appearance since August—but there’s a big question mark over Richarlison. The Brazilian went off with a hamstring injury, and now Frank has to wait and see how bad it is.
“I think we’ve done a lot to get Richarlison back to this point, and so has he,” Frank said. “But it’s not just us. Every club is dealing with injuries across the Premier League.”
He didn’t shy away from criticising the schedule, either. “Honestly, it’s something football authorities need to look into. We played five games in 13 days, four in 10—one of the few clubs to do that, and it’s our third time this season. Two days between matches is brutal. We’re doing everything we can to compete, but the schedule is tough.”
ANFIELD ALERT: NUNO'S WEST HAM FACE HIGH-STAKES LIVERPOOL CLASH TO ESCAPE THE RELEGATION ZONE
Liverpool vs West Ham. Get the report on Nuno Espirito Santo’s counter-attacks and the fight to escape relegation.
West Ham are heading to Anfield on Saturday, and you can bet they’ve got one thing in mind: finally beating Liverpool there, something they haven’t pulled off since 2015.
Sure, the Hammers only managed a 0-0 draw with Bournemouth last weekend, dropping a couple of points at home. But the silver lining? They’ve managed to close the gap on Nottingham Forest in 17th to just two points. Not bad, all things considered.
Next up is Arne Slot’s Liverpool, a team that's been all over the place this season. Just look at that wild 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest, who were sitting 19th at the time, back in November. Liverpool rarely loses twice at home to teams starting the day in the relegation zone; the last time was way back in the 1992-93 season.
But with Nuno Espirito Santo in charge, West Ham look dangerous, especially because they tend to come out flying in the first half. If Liverpool start slow, like they often do, West Ham could punish them.
Here’s what West Ham needs to do: keep up that strong start. They’ve picked up 11 points from their last six games, mainly thanks to their first-half performances. In fact, 59% of their Premier League goals this season have come before halftime, the highest proportion in the league.
Liverpool, on the other hand, barely gets going until after the break. Only 31% of their goals come in the first half, which is the lowest share in the division. Remember when West Ham struck first against Chelsea, Tottenham, and Sunderland? They ended up winning two of those three matches. If they can do the same at Anfield, Nuno’s counter-attacking setup might just cause Liverpool some real headaches.
But here’s where things get tricky. Liverpool never know when they’re beaten, and some of their wildest games have come down to the wire this season. More goals have been scored in the 90th minute (and stoppage time) of Liverpool’s matches than any other team’s. Nine of those late goals have changed the result from last-gasp winners to heartbreaking losses. Just last Sunday, Alexis Mac Allister scored in the 97th minute to snatch all three points against Nottingham Forest.
So, if West Ham do grab the lead, great. Nuno’s plan is working. But fans shouldn’t get too comfortable. If they sit back and try to protect that lead, things could get tense. Liverpool loves a dramatic finish, and they never stop coming.
THE DEFENSIVE PUZZLE: HOW OLIVER GLASNER IS REBUILDING PALACE’S BACKLINE AFTER MARC GUéHI’S EXIT
Glasner Injury News: Maxence Lacroix remains doubtful for Crystal Palace European play-off decider.
Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner still hasn’t decided if Maxence Lacroix will play in Thursday’s huge second leg against HŠK Zrinjski Mostar in the UEFA Conference League play-off. Lacroix picked up an adductor injury during last week’s 1-1 draw in Bosnia and Herzegovina and had to come off in the 64th minute for Jaydee Canvot. He missed Sunday’s narrow 1-0 win over Wolves because of it.
Since Marc Guéhi joined Manchester City last month, Glasner’s had to keep shuffling his back three. Injuries and the need to manage players’ minutes haven’t made life easy.
Chris Richards started with Chadi Riad and Jaydee Canvot in defence against Wolves. Richards took a nasty knock to the head but managed to train on Wednesday, so he looks good to go. Riad, meanwhile, is just getting back into regular games after a year out with an ACL injury. He’s also fasting for Ramadan right now, which caught up with him in the form of cramps against Zrinjski last week. Jefferson Lerma, another option at centre-back, is still sidelined.
“There’s still a small question mark over Maxence,” Glasner said on Wednesday. “He trained today. There were a few moments where he felt something, but it seemed alright. We’ve got just over 30 hours until kickoff, so with treatment, we’ll see. Everyone else is fine; no one’s coming back, but thankfully no one else is out.”
Glasner also gave updates on his strikers. Eddie Nketiah, who hurt his hamstring in training last month, has had a setback and needs a few more weeks. With no games at the end of March, Glasner expects Nketiah to return in April.
As for Jean-Philippe Mateta, he was at training on Wednesday but didn’t take part because of a long-term knee problem. “It’s a tough time for him,” Glasner said. “He’s been out for four weeks now, working through rehab to get his knee stable again. He’ll be back to help us win games; that’s just who JP is. He’s putting in the work.”
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