Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven has admitted he was left feeling ill by the collapse against Brighton and Hove Albion, so much so that even Bart Verbruggen didn’t bring it up with him.
The centre-back has been speaking to ESPN, relayed by De Telegraaf, as he links up with the Netherlands squad for the international break.
He’ll be hoping for a happier time than he’s had at Tottenham, who head into this break in a miserable mood after the 3-2 defeat to Brighton on Sunday.
Ange Postecoglou’s side appeared set for a comfortable victory in the clash at the Amex as goals from Brennan Johnson and James Maddison put them in a commanding position.
They had put in a terrific first-half performance up to that point, dominating the hosts and earning praise from all corners.
What followed shocked everyone, including Tottenham, as goals from Yankuba Minteh, Georginio Rutter and Danny Welbeck in the 48th, 58th and 66th minutes put Brighton ahead and eventually saw them secure all three points.
It was a chastening second half for Tottenham, who were left visibly shell shocked after the game and Van de Ven admits he was left with an ill feeling.
“With a good feeling. I’m fit,” he said when asked for his mood ahead of the international break.
“The only downer was the match before. Things are going well and I think that with Tottenham as a team we are also playing well and earning more points than we actually have now. I play my matches and do my thing.
“I was quite ill from that. As a team we had a fantastic first half, led 2-0, but in the end, you lost 3-2. I did speak to Bart (Verbruggen) immediately after the match. He saw that I was very ill from it. Then he is not the person to irritate you with that.”
