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Isak and Hugo Ekitike netted to give Arne Slot’s men the win over Thomas Frank and Co. but the Swede had to be subbed off after Van De Ven’s tackle left him withing in pain.
Micky Van De Ven, Alexander Isak. (X)
Former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf slammed Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven for his brash tackle on Liverpool striker Alexander Isak during the Reds’ 2-1 win over the Spurs in the Premier League during the weekend.
Isak and Hugo Ekitike netted to give Arne Slot’s men the win over Thomas Frank and Co., but the Swede had to be subbed off after Van De Ven’s tackle left him withing in pain. Isak is set for two-months on the sidelines with a fractured leg as a result of the challenge.
“I love the way Micky van de Ven is behaving and the way he plays football, and I love the player, but he has to be punished,” the Frenchaman said.
“I’m sorry, you cannot get out of that when you broke the leg of somebody. You take a chance, you’re a defender. I was a defender and never injured any player,” he added.
“You can tackle, you can be hard, but you have to know and be in control of what you do. And, I’m sorry, in that manner, and the result says a lot, Van de Ven was not in control,” Leboeuf continued.
“And for me, that’s maybe unfortunate, but something has to come out. He cannot again be released with nothing after that tackle,” he explained.
Van De Ven walked away from the tackle without being booked, in stark contrast to teammate Xavi Simons who was given the marching orders in the 33rd minute for his tackle on Virgil Van Dijk.
Liverpool boss Slot also weighed in on the debate as he said, “The tackle of van de Ven, if you make that tackle ten times, I think ten times there’s a serious chance that a player gets a serious injury.”
The Dutchman, however, had no issues with Simons’ tackle on Van Dijk, which he termed as ‘absolutely unintentional’ and “I don’t think you will ever get an injury out of a tackle like that.”
United Kingdom (UK)
December 23, 2025, 18:33 IST
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