Micky van de Ven previews Tottenham's Europa League second leg at Eintracht Frankfurt
16/04/2025
uefa25 europa league
Eintracht Frankfurt 1-1 Tottenham quarter final second leg
16/04/2025
uefa25 europa league
Eintracht Frankfurt 1-1 Tottenham quarter final second leg
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00How are you feeling in terms of sharpness and rhythm, because you're playing a game,
00:23having a rest, playing a game, how's that feeling body-wise for you?
00:27I'm feeling well, of course.
00:29Every week you're playing a game, it's like normal teams that don't play Europe,
00:33they normally play like this.
00:35So you play on the weekend, have a week off and then you play the weekend again.
00:38So to be honest, I feel good, I feel recovered and I feel sharp.
00:41So yeah, I'm ready to go.
00:48Hi, Miki.
00:49It's obviously a big game for the club and its season.
00:52There's been a lot of talk about this game being very big for the manager.
00:55I just wanted to know how much do you personally enjoy playing under him
00:58and how much do the players want to win it for Ange tomorrow?
01:02Yeah, we all still have the trust in the gaffer and we still have trust in the way he's playing.
01:08So tomorrow we want to win the game, of course, for him, but also for us
01:12and also for the club and also for the fans.
01:14It hasn't been a really good season, of course, what you're saying, but it's a big game for us.
01:18And of course, we want to achieve something special this season and I think this is the best way to do it.
01:24Done.
01:27Hi, Miki.
01:28I mean, is it fair to say that the club season really comes down to getting a result in this game?
01:34Yeah, of course.
01:35We have also some Premier League games to play, but yeah, what you say, if we want to win some silverware,
01:40of course, it has to be the Europa League and we have to win this game to go to the next round.
01:44So yeah, it's a big game for us, yeah.
01:48Same person.
01:51And can I ask what the manager's message has been to you?
01:54What's he been saying to you in the days kind of building up to this game?
01:58That's, of course, it's a big game for us also.
02:00Of course, it's also a game like every week, like we have to play our best football.
02:04We have to play the way we want to play.
02:06If we want to create as many chances as we did the last game against them
02:09and hopefully we can win this game and go to the next round.
02:12Jake?
02:15Hi, Miki. Obviously, your season's been disrupted by a few different injuries.
02:18I just want to ask, are you worried about the long-term impact
02:21that these injuries could have on your career?
02:24Well, no, not really. I recovered well.
02:28Of course, we just said I had some same injuries in the last couple of years.
02:33No, last couple of years, in the last two years.
02:35But I'm feeling well and I'm not really worried about something for my future or something.
02:39So I'm feeling well and I know I trained and I do everything to make the hamstring as strong as possible
02:44and the rest of my body also.
02:45So I don't really stress about something for the future for my hamstrings.
02:48Ryan?
02:49Hi, Miki. Robin Kotcher said that the stadium's going to be like a lion's den tomorrow.
02:59I assume you've probably played here with Wolfsburg.
03:01What are your recollections of the atmosphere and have you spoken to your teammates about it?
03:07To be honest, I haven't really spoke with the guys about the atmosphere in the stadium,
03:11but I know it's going to be a good atmosphere.
03:13The last time I played with Wolfsburg, it was also a tough game
03:16and the fans are really going behind the team.
03:18So it will be the 12th man, but I think we should be fine.
03:22And of course, the noise from outside, but what happened on the pitch?
03:25You need to focus on the pitch, so that's the most important.
03:27But what you say, of course, there's going to be a good atmosphere probably, but we're ready for it.
03:31Hi, Miki. Just got another one.
03:35Obviously, you know Christian Romero and Guillermo Vicario very well.
03:38They're very experienced players in the squad.
03:40Both of them maybe made uncharacteristic errors at the weekend or mistakes.
03:44How have you seen how they've processed that over the last couple of days?
03:49I think making a mistake is normal.
03:51Of course, after the game, they were said they made some mistakes.
03:54Of course, they expect better from themselves.
03:57And yeah, it can happen you make a mistake.
03:59And to be honest, after the game, of course, you are like,
04:02I can't accept this from myself.
04:03But now if you look at them, they're ready to go tomorrow.
04:05And they're as sharp as they normally are.
04:10Hello, Miki.
04:11Can you tell us a little bit more, please, about your fitness situation?
04:15Why aren't you playing every game?
04:17Why are you managing, as the coach says?
04:20And he said you'd been to seek some outside help.
04:23Can you tell us what you've been able to do, what you've learned, what you've changed?
04:28Yeah, why I don't play every week, that's not a question you have to ask to me.
04:32That's a question you have to ask the gaffer.
04:34But body-wise, I'm feeling really well and I'm feeling really good.
04:38What I said, I don't know why I don't play every week, you have to ask the gaffer for this.
04:42But I'm feeling well.
04:44And what you said, I've seen some people outside of the training ground,
04:47also some specialists, and that could help me with running-wise
04:50and with understanding my body a bit more.
04:52So, yeah, I learned from them also some things.
04:54And what I said, I feel really good right now and ready to go.
04:58Miki, just quickly as a follow-up to that, I mean, do you want to be playing every week at the moment?
05:04And secondly, obviously winning this competition is the only way to qualify for Europe next season now.
05:10How important is playing in Europe for you?
05:14Yeah, of course, I want to play every game.
05:16Football is what you love the most, of course, every game you want to play.
05:20But, yeah, the Europa League is a really important competition for us this season.
05:25Of course, we also have some Premier League games ahead of us.
05:28But what you say, if we want to win some silverware
05:31and we want to qualify for the European tournament next season,
05:34then, of course, the Europa League is a really important stage for us.
05:37Hi, Miki. You mentioned that it's, you know, obviously a really big game for you tomorrow.
05:49Is there a sense among the players that you really want to prove something to the fans?
05:53Because, you know, it's not been such a great season
05:55and this is your opportunity to show what you're made of.
05:58Yes, this hasn't been our best season, of course,
06:03and the fans want us to, yeah, to play better, of course.
06:07And I expect from the fans also, they expect us to do better in the games we lost this season.
06:11And we want to prove them also that we have the quality and the ability
06:15to show them that we are a really good team.
06:17And when everybody is fit and when everybody, yeah, when the whole team is strong,
06:21that we can achieve some beautiful things.
06:23And hopefully, yeah, we can show that tomorrow to our own fans,
06:25but also to the people that are adopting us.
06:27George, at the back, please.
06:29Hi, Miki, just at the back up here.
06:31What, where?
06:33Ah, there.
06:34Sorry.
06:35How much confidence can the team take from the previous round?
06:38You was down after the first leg against AZ,
06:41but you come back, you handled the pressure of the situation.
06:44Is that something to kind of lean on going into tomorrow's game?
06:47Yeah, also, I think in the first leg, you see, we played against Frankfurt.
06:51We played a really good game.
06:52We created a lot of chances and, yeah, we drew the game, of course,
06:56but that gave us confidence that you can see how we can play
06:59and how we can play against this strong Frankfurt team also.
07:02So, yeah, we have really, really confidence for tomorrow.
07:04And we want to show the same as we did in the first leg.
07:07And what I say, hopefully we can go to the next round.
07:10Hiya, Miki.
07:11At only 23 years of age, you're viewed as one of Spurs' most important
07:14and experienced players.
07:16How important will your leadership be tomorrow night
07:18in such a hostile environment?
07:20Yeah, I want to help the guys like I always do.
07:24Every game for me, of course, this is a big game.
07:26It's quarter-final of European competition,
07:28but I want to go into every game as the same way as I'm doing.
07:31So, I want to play my game tomorrow
07:33and help the guys push the team towards the goal we want to reach for tomorrow.
07:37Last one with Ryan, please.
07:40Miki, can I just ask you about Kyugo Ekotike,
07:43obviously scored last week.
07:44He's got 21 goals this season.
07:46What have you made of him?
07:48He's drawn comparisons to Alexander Isak.
07:50Do you think he's a player that if you can stop,
07:54it certainly will bolster your chances of victory tomorrow night?
07:57Yeah, he's a really good player, scored also a really good goal against us.
08:02And you can see his quality.
08:04So, yeah, tomorrow it's going to be me and the player who's playing next to me.
08:07It's our job to eliminate him from the game tomorrow.
08:10And, yeah, hopefully we have a good chance too.
08:12Because, yeah, of course we say he's an unbelievable threat from them.
08:16He's a really good player.
08:17So, yeah, it's to us to eliminate him tomorrow and hopefully we can get the win then.
08:25No German questions?
08:27No German questions?
08:29No German questions?
08:30No German questions?