Supporters must be wary of Tottenham hit pieces as Micky van de Ven fires back

Micky van de Ven made the most of his chance to hit back at reporters ahead of Wednesday's Champions League round of 16 second leg against Atlético Madrid.

The Dutchman's stock has plummeted amid a torrid 2026 for Tottenham, and plenty of supporters who once cherished the speedy centre-back as their favourite have been left bitterly disappointed by the 24-year-old in recent weeks.

The idea that the in-demand defender believes himself to be above the club's currently perilous Premier League position has seeped into the fanbase, and media outlets have tried their utmost to add fuel to the fire amid a period of bleak discontent in north London.

It's not merely been a case of Chinese whispers on social media; supposedly reputable outlets have reported a supposed lack of care within the Tottenham squad regarding their potential demise to the second tier. The Athletic's Jay Harris, for example, wrote that "one player has expressed to his teammates that he is not too concerned by the possibility of relegation because he believes he can and will leave the club this summer."

His perceived nonchalance and recent red card trouble thrust Van de Ven into the firing line, but the exasperated centre-back has rubbished such claims.

Van de Ven defiant as Tottenham aim to build on Anfield momentum

Speaking ahead of Wednesday's second leg, Van de Ven cited Harris's aforementioned article and suggested that journalists are simply "making things up."

“They start saying, the guys don’t care anymore what’s going to happen in the club about the situation, but trust me, all the people involved on the pitch, the staff, the players, everyone, they care so much about the situation we’re in right now. We just want to turn things around, and that’s the most important, that’s the main focus for everyone.

"It's just nonsense," he summated.

Despite a tough few months, Van de Ven has attracted interest from the likes of Liverpool and Barcelona. As recently as November, after the Dutchman scored a stunning individual goal against Copenhagen, he was regarded as a player Spurs valued in excess of £100m and wanted to tie down to a lucrative long-term deal.

There's been little progress over an extension, but Van de Ven still has multiple years left on his deal. Still, in the event of an unfathomable relegation, clubs would be able to snag the Dutchman at a discounted rate.

I think Van de Ven's interview with Ziggo Sport (via Football Place) after last week's defeat in Madrid showed that he's hurting as much as anyone. A distinct drop in performance levels means the centre-back is an easy target for slander, and the club is ripe for exploitation, with frustrated fans likely to latch onto anything reported.

This is a time for unity, and we can only hope that Igor Tudor's broken squad capitalises on the moment of respite they earned at Anfield on Sunday. Seizing upon hit pieces and stirring the pot online isn't going to ease our woes, that's for sure.

The players certainly looked like they're ready to fight for the cause at the weekend, and I'd like to believe Van de Ven is the egoist some are making him out to be.