Van de Ven and Spence offer apologies while Frank upholds Tottenham's base

Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank stated on Monday that Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence have expressed regret for ignoring their coach and walking off towards the tunnel following the 1-0 loss to Chelsea on Saturday.

The Spurs team faced jeers from their fans after yet another failure to secure a victory in their fourth straight Premier League match at home.

Van de Ven, who led the side as captain from the start, along with Spence, have stood out as reliable players amid a patchy beginning to Franks tenure.

However, at the end of the match, they pushed by Frank as he attempted to encourage them to show appreciation to the supporters in the stands.

"Yesterday, Micky and Djed visited my office and simply wanted to apologise for what happened," Frank explained.

"They had no intention of making it appear negative or allowing any misunderstandings to arise in this vibrant media environment.

"There was absolutely no lack of respect towards me or the squad. They were merely upset about our display on the pitch and the jeering that occurred throughout the contest," the 52 year old from Denmark continued.

Even with their struggles at home, Tottenham hold fifth place in the Premier League table and remain undefeated in their opening three Champions League fixtures.

A win against FC Copenhagen at home on Tuesday would position Spurs favourably to advance to the knockout stages of the Champions League for just the second occasion in six years.

Securing the Europa League title in the previous campaign concealed a largely catastrophic season that resulted in Ange Postecoglou being dismissed, even though it ended the clubs 17 year wait for silverware.

Tottenham ended up 17th in the Premier League their lowest finish in the top flight of English football since dropping out of the old First Division in 1976/77.

"Naturally, we are recovering from a subpar showing there is a glaring spotlight on that at the moment. It is tough for people to overlook it and recognise some of the strong outings we have delivered this season too," Frank remarked.

"If someone had predicted that after 10 games we would have 17 points and no losses in the Champions League not everything is ideal but we have built a solid groundwork.

"Given the 22 league losses from last year and ending 17th, anyone would have accepted our current standing."

Lucas Bergvall faces time out due to a concussion sustained in the initial moments against Chelsea, though Spence and Mohammed Kudus are expected to recover in time to play against the Danish title holders Copenhagen despite minor injuries.