Micky van de Ven says it is “unacceptable” and “embarrassing” that Tottenham’s fight against Premier League relegation went down to the final day of the season.
Spurs are set for a long summer of soul-searching despite retaining their top-flight status with a 1-0 home win over Everton that saw them survive at the expense of rivals West Ham, whose own 3-0 home victory over Leeds proved to be in vain.
“It is unacceptable that the last game we played this season we play for relegation,” Van de Ven, captaining Tottenham in the absence of injured skipper Cristian Romero, told BBC’s Match of the Day.
“This club has some unbelievable players. It was embarrassing to let it come to the final day, but we did it, and that is what is important.
“To be honest, I was more emotional at the end of the final whistle. It has been a tough season for me personally as well. I played almost every game, and I have suffered a lot. The emotions are really happy, and we must not let it happen again.”
Joao Palhinha believes that Tottenham will improve next season having scored the winning goal against Everton, reacting quickest to finish on the rebound shortly before half-time after his initial header had come back off the post.
The Portuguese midfielder praised Spurs for playing as a collective unit when it mattered and said the club will grow off the back of a tumultuous campaign.
“A lot of things happened this season but we showed today what we can do. After a bad season like this one, we showed up as a collective and had amazing support from the fans,” Palhinha told Sky Sports.
“The club will grow up with this season and we know what we have to do in the future. It's a big pleasure to play here with a top coach and top team-mates. We have to celebrate even if we didn't finish the position we deserve as Tottenham.”
Palhinha, who has proven the man for the big occasion for Spurs this season, dedicated his goal to his parents and two sons.
“It was just a goal,” he said. “I just tried to help the team. I had a lot of emotions and wanted to dedicate it to my two sons and my parents.”
