Thomas Frank has said that Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence have apologised after the duo appeared to ignore him in the immediate aftermath of Tottenham Hotspur‘s Premier League defeat to Chelsea on Saturday.
“Micky and Djed came into my office yesterday unprompted to say sorry. It was not their intention to be disrespectful. They were just frustrated,” Frank told a news conference on Monday.
João Pedro‘s 34th-minute strike gave Chelsea a thoroughly deserved win against a toothless Spurs team in north London and Frank’s side were booed by a frustrated home crowd at the final whistle.
Spurs managed just three shots in the match and recorded an xG of 0.05 — their lowest in a Premier League game since records began in the 2012-13 season.
As Frank entered the pitch to do a customary lap of appreciation, Van de Ven and Spence appeared to ignore their manager’s request to acknowledge the supporters as they headed straight down the tunnel.
Asked about the incident in his post-match news conference, Frank said he did not think it was a “big problem.”
Frank also confirmed that Lucas Bergvall will miss both Spurs’ Champions League tie against Copenhagen on Tuesday and their Premier League meeting with Manchester United at the weekend after the midfielder suffered a concussion in the opening minutes of the defeat to Chelsea.
“Lucas is out through concussion which was obvious for everyone watching the game,” Frank said. “Djed and Mo [Mohammed Kudus] both have knocks and could still be available for tomorrow.
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