Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven claimed fans will witness a ‘more enjoyable’ style of play under manager Roberto De Zerbi.
The Dutch star’s comments mark a thinly-veiled swipe at former Spurs boss Thomas Frank, who was only eight months into a three-year contract when he got axed in February.
“It’s going to be different compared to the former manager we had last season,” Van de Ven said at a press conference in Sydney.
“It’s going to be more with the ball, more playing football, it’s going to be more enjoyable also for people to watch, when playing offensive football.
“The last couple of weeks of last season, you saw he (De Zerbi) brought a lot of passion into our group, a lot mentality-wise, passion-wise, on the pitch.
“It is something we needed because everybody was a little bit down.
“We started to play a lot with the ball, because he loves us to be on the ball, he loves to play the football he wants to play, and that’s also something I really enjoy.
“I like being on the ball, instead of running behind the ball the whole time.
“He brings a lot of good energy and from preseason, we have really got the time now to bring his football into the team. That’s really enjoyable.”
To be Frank
Van de Ven and Frank may have shared a frosty relationship by the end of the Dane’s tenure at Tottenham, evidenced by the defender snubbing his then-boss following a loss to Chelsea last November.
Footage went viral on social media of Van de Ven and Djed Spence walking straight past Frank shortly after full time.
After the duo moved closer towards the tunnel, Frank shot a steely glance in their direction before he walked away to clap the remaining fans inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Frank later confirmed the pair offered an ‘unprompted’ apology and claimed it was ‘not their intention’ to disrespect him.
However, the damage was largely done as Frank went on to win just six out of Spurs’ next 22 fixtures across all competitions.
Frank was replaced by Igor Tudor, but he departed after a forgettable seven-game stint that produced just one win and had Spurs in a tailspin towards the Championship.
De Zerb to stay up
But De Zerbi, who became one of the highest-paid managers in the competition upon joining, saved the club from the unthinkable as Spurs finished two points above West Ham.
The Italian has since been heavily backed this summer as Spurs broke their transfer record twice courtesy of Matheus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali, who joined for £85m and £100m respectively.
Spurs also strengthened at the back, with Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi both joining on free transfers while Jan Paul van Hecke arrived from Brighton for £52m.
The lengthy list of arrivals this summer has Van de Ven believing the club is finally showcasing its ‘ambition’, something that the longer-serving players needed to see.
Van de Ven: Spurs have brought in ‘unbelievable’ players
“It’s really good that you can see the club has made some changes,” Van de Ven said.
“They have brought a really good new manager, in my opinion, and some really good new signings that you can see the club has new ambition.
“It’s something that’s really important for players that have been there for a long time.
“It’s some really good signings for us. Unbelievable players so they can bring a lot to our team.
“The feeling of the team is really good, to be honest. Obviously I know the gaffer from the end of the season. I have really enjoyed working with him.
“That’s what we have been doing in this pre-season as well and the guys who are coming in have been unbelievable as well. They have fit in well to the group so it has been really good.
“Hopefully it will be a different season, yes. It’s something we are going to work really hard on. Make some differences because last season was a bit unacceptable from our side.”