Thomas Frank Fires Back at Arne Slot Over "Reckless" Micky Van de Ven Attack
Thomas Frank strongly disputed Arne Slot's characterization of Micky van de Ven's challenge as "reckless" in the incident that resulted in Liverpool forward Alexander Isak's leg fracture.
Isak netted his third strike in a Liverpool shirt to help secure a crucial 2–1 victory for the Premier League leaders, though his celebratory moment came with a price. As the Swedish international fired the ball with his left foot beyond Tottenham keeper Guglielmo Vicario, Van de Ven slid in from the flank attempting to prevent the shot.
Regrettably, the collision of limbs resulted in Isak suffering a fibula break—an injury requiring immediate surgical intervention that will keep the £125 million ($169 million) British record transfer out of action for several months minimum.
Prior to Liverpool's encounter with Wolves, Slot criticized his Dutch compatriot Van de Ven, declaring "if you execute a challenge like that 10 times, 10 times there is a significant risk the player sustains a major injury."
Frank: Impossible to Question Van de Ven Doing His Job
Frank took exception to that evaluation. "I fundamentally disagree in numerous ways," stated the manager whom Sports Illustrated considers the Premier League's most stylish dresser. "We're discussing a defender who will exhaust every effort to prevent a goal. This is a counter-attack situation. There's a ball played down the flank and he's doing whatever possible to block the attempt, so he's sliding in.
Frank even wondered whether Van de Ven would qualify as a genuine defender had he not attempted to throw his leg across Isak's path. "Sadly Isak places his foot down," he observed. "It appears more severe than it actually is, but that represents standard defensive behavior. Simply put, if my defender fails to make that play, they aren't real defenders. Dangerous tackle? I don't believe you witness anything of that nature from Micky."
The Danish manager mentioned both players had communicated and "have resolved the matter."
Slot Optimistic Isak Can Still Play Big Role
Despite Isak facing an extended absence that will see him miss important fixtures across the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup, Slot chose to remain positive about what lies ahead.
The ex-Feyenoord manager also emphasized that Isak's initial months had proven extremely difficult for multiple reasons, though he was beginning to demonstrate the form he showed at Newcastle prior to this setback.
"I remain optimistic [Isak] can contribute this season," Slot continued. "It has been an incredibly tough and demanding stretch for him. He moved to a new team, felt tremendous excitement and wanted to immediately display all his abilities. But that was simply unrealistic.
"Perhaps nobody comprehends, but when you haven't trained for three or four months at an intense level with the squad and you're competing in this division where peak performance is essential to influence matches... That required, as we all anticipated, months before we could elevate him to that standard because there was no preparation period, just fixtures, fixtures, fixtures with no training opportunities.
"We always recognized it would require patience and that's why his current injury is so unfortunate because we all witnessed through his strike against West Ham, through this goal, that he was progressing closer to the player he was last campaign at Newcastle."