'Doomsday scenario' for Spurs after 'blows' - Van de Ven

Madrid – Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven did not mince words after watching his side concede four goals inside 22 minutes en route to a 5-2 Champions League last-16 first-leg humiliation at Atletico Madrid, describing the unfolding chaos as a “doomsday scenario” and admitting the club is “just taking blow after blow”.

The Dutch centre-back, 24, saw Tuesday’s rout begin with goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky picking the ball out of his net three times before the 17th minute, when the 21-year-old was withdrawn in what became an early mercy substitution. By the time the half-hour mark passed, Spurs were 4-0 down and on their way to a fourth consecutive defeat under interim boss Igor Tudor and a sixth straight loss in all competitions.

“Everything that could go wrong went wrong,” Van de Ven told Ziggo Sport. “For 15 minutes we just conceded goals that you really can’t do anything about. It’s actually a doomsday scenario.”

The result extends Tottenham’s winless run to nine matches in all competitions and leaves the north Londoners 16th in the Premier League, a single point above the relegation zone. Their last top-flight victory came on 28 December, ratcheting up pressure ahead of Sunday’s league trip to champions Liverpool – a match Van de Ven will miss after his red card against Crystal Palace last week.

“Right now we’re just taking blow after blow after blow,” he said. “It’s just really tough, and now I also have an important match this weekend that I won’t be able to play in because I’m suspended. It’s a really terrible period, I can tell you that. It’s really, really awful.”

Van de Ven revealed he has distanced himself from social media during the slump. “I’m not on my phone anymore. I’m completely done with it. Just my family, so it’ll be fine. It’s rough, really rough. I have to keep going. It’s part of it, that’s life and we’ll see what’s coming.”

Tudor, appointed in February after Thomas Frank’s dismissal, has yet to find a formula to stem the bleeding. Spurs now face a pivotal fortnight: the second leg against Atletico next week, the daunting Anfield fixture, and a 22 March relegation six-pointer at home to Nottingham Forest.

For a club that has not tasted relegation since 1977, the stakes could scarcely be higher. Van de Ven and his team-mates must somehow rouse themselves from their current torpor or risk a plunge into uncharted territory.