Thomas Frank joked that Micky van de Ven has permission to carry on snubbing him if it helps Tottenham’s flying Dutchman transform anger into sensational goals like he scored against Copenhagen.
‘It seemed like we had Lionel Messi turned into Micky van de Ven, roaring down from his own goal all the way to the other end and scoring a fantastic goal,’ said Spurs boss Frank.
‘He’s our top scorer in all competitions, so he can keep going. He can keep walking past me if he’s angry after a game.’
It was a reference to the aftermath of Saturday’s defeat by Chelsea, when Van de Ven and Djed Spence blanked Frank’s request to acknowledge the fans and later apologised for appearing to undermine his authority.
Van de Ven scored the third in a 4-0 win against Copenhagen, picking the ball up on the edge of his own penalty area, accelerating down the middle of the pitch, and smashing in his sixth of the season with his left foot.
The 24-year-old Dutchman wheeled away putting a finger to his ear as the home fans exploded in celebration.
His team-mates and even the substitutes bench all joined in the celebrations, acknowledging the special goal.
‘I saw a little gap in front of me, so I thought, okay I will start dribbling now,’ Van de Ven told TNT Sports. ‘I was seeing if they could catch up. I saw the space, every time more and more.
‘And then at one point, I felt like I am through now. I got the goal now.’
Bale picked up the ball just inside Inter Milan’s half in a Champions League group game at the San Siro before pinning his ears back and scorching away.
Four touches later and an arrowed finish into the far corner rounded off the spectacular solo goal, the first of his hat-trick on the night, in a memorable 4-3 defeat in 2010.
It was, the Netherlands international agreed, a perfect response to successive home defeats by Chelsea and Aston Villa.
‘For sure, it was needed,’ said Van de Ven. ‘It was a tough one at the weekend. To lose at home, a derby against Chelsea, was really tough. So we needed to bounce back and I think we did it perfectly.’
Frank agreed. ‘We talk a lot about that bounce back mentality because in life and football there will be setbacks,’ he said.
‘Every team will experience that. And it’s how we react to that to come out after a bad game or a bad spell and come back to it. That’s part of a good team.
‘I’m very happy with the response. We controlled the game from minute one to the end, more or less.’
Spurs played more than half an hour with 10 men. Brennan Johnson, scorer of the first goal, was sent off after a VAR intervention for slide tackle from behind when the score was 2-0. But Van de Ven added the third and Joao Palhinha came on to score the fourth.
Xavi Simons, who registered an assist for Johnson’s goal and sparkled in the first half, was unable to hide his disappointed when substituted to make way for Palhinha after the red card.
‘I will say two things,’ said Frank on Simons. ‘One, I think that was a step forward. I am very happy for him. It was a good assist and with a little bit more sharpness for him and the other players, he probably could have had one more assist.
‘He found good pockets, good spaces. I’m really pleased with that. Of course, I understand his disappointment in the moment. But it’s always about the team, of course. At that stage, it’s 2-0.
‘We are still building layers in this team. It’s obvious that we are progressing forward but are not where we want to be. In that situation, we just take no risk and put a more defensive player in. Which afterwards, of course, looks to be an absolutely top decision. But you never know.’
Spurs have made a habit of producing extraordinary individual strikes over the years, and Van de Ven’s latest effort follows in the footsteps of club legends such as Gareth Bale and Son Heung-Min.
Son’s 2020 wonder, which won the Puskas Award, saw him collect the ball just outside his own box in a Premier League game against Burnley and weave past six defenders before calmly finishing.
Van de Ven can now add his name to that illustrious solo-goal lexicon, giving fans another moment to relive again and again.
