Journalist Alasdair Gold has revealed there was one Tottenham Hotspur player who was asking his teammates not to pass to him on Tuesday night.
The game against Manchester City earlier this week provided a number of surprises with Tottenham looking the best they have been for months against the champions-elect.
Ange Postecoglou‘s side did taste defeat in the end but it was a solid showing from his side but there was some frustrations shared by the manager after the game.
Even during the game, Postecoglou voiced his anger to one Spurs fan who was sat in the first row of the west stand behind the dugout.
And it seems the Australian was not the only one at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium who was not totally comfortable on Tuesday night.
Alasdair Gold has now admitted there was one Spurs player who was even asking his own teammates to avoid passing the ball to him during the game.
Which Tottenham player was asking not to be passed to vs Manchester City
Considering the atmosphere which was created by some of the fans on Tuesday night, Spurs put in a seriously impressive display against Pep Guardiola’s side.
Given how poor Spurs have been over the last few months, it was a surprise for some to see them come out and take the game to City.
But there were some tactical tweaks from Postecoglou coming into the game with Micky van de Ven being pushed across to left-back.
And in his place at centre-back came in the January signing Radu Dragusin who partnered Cristian Romero.
READ MORE: Get to know Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven, from his career stats to his top speed
It seems the new role on the left side of the defence may have taken the £43m Dutchman by surprise with the physical demands required to play there under Postecoglou.
Speaking on the Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham podcast, Gold revealed what he spotted the 23-year-old saying to his teammates at one point in the game.
“He was knackered. After half an hour, he was knackered,” Gold said.
“I watched him at one point hunched over like gulping for air and even told someone not to pass to him he was so tired. He just has to run more and you don’t have to do that at centre-back.”
Should Micky van de Ven start left-back against Sheffield United?
Although Van de Ven may have struggled with the physical demands of getting up and down the pitch, he did still put in a solid display.
However, the standout performer was the Romanian centre-back who was handed a rare opportunity in the starting XI.
Dragusin was that impressive his performance even saw numerous Arsenal fans comment on how impressed they were with him.
With that in mind, it would make a lot of sense for Postecoglou to keep the backline as it was against the Blades on Sunday.
Spurs only need a point to secure Europa League football and keeping Van de Ven at left-back does not feel like a move which could cost them fifth place on the weekend.
