Micky van de Ven was unable to complete the challenge that Thomas Frank has set him during Tottenham Hotspur’s 3-0 win against West Ham United on Saturday.
Van de Ven had a good game for Tottenham, scoring his side’s third goal of the match.
That win saw Spurs climb all the way into second in the Premier League table, and they were able to stay there following Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Brentford.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  ArsenalArsenal | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 9 |
| 2 |  TottenhamTottenham | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 9 |
| 3 |  LiverpoolLiverpool | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 9 |
| 4 |  BournemouthBournemouth | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 9 |
| 5 |  ChelseaChelsea | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 8 |
| 6 |  EvertonEverton | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
Following the full-time whistle at the London Stadium, Frank explained why he and Van de Ven were laughing after the defender’s substitution.
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Thomas Frank joked Micky van de Ven’s Tottenham goal should have been a header
With Tottenham 3-0 up and having just 10 minutes left to play, Frank decided to withdraw Van de Ven from the game.
As Van de Ven came off, the two could be seen sharing a joke, with Frank since revealing that they were laughing at the fact that the Dutchman scored but not with his head.
Asked about their conversation, the former Brentford boss told football.london and other outlets: “Yes, I want a goal from him from set-pieces. It was a second phase set-piece but it didn’t count if it was left or right foot. I need a header.”
Tottenham’s win over West Ham saw Frank add another victory to his impressive record against the Hammers. Prior to the match, Frank had won six encounters against West Ham.
He will now be looking to inspire Spurs to another win on Tuesday when they face Villarreal in the Champions League.
Thomas Frank on Micky van de Ven’s role in disallowed goal
Tottenham could have taken the lead in their London derby earlier had Cristian Romero’s goal in the first half stood.
However, it was disallowed after Van de Ven was adjudged to have pushed a West Ham player. Frank thought the decision to penalise the Netherlands international was debatable.
“It’s one of those where it could definitely have been given,” the Dane said. “I’m probably slightly biased, I would say 60-40 it should have been given, but I know those situations are not easy.”
In the end, though, it did not matter, as Spurs went on to put in a strong second-half performance and claim all three points. They can certainly be happy with their start to the season.
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