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The pressure is now getting to Thomas Frank, and that is evident by some of his answers during the post-match press conference following his side’s defeat in the North London derby.
Tottenham failed to lay a glove on their North London rivals at the Emirates on Sunday, having fallen to a 4-1 defeat.
The away side’s only goal of the game came from nowhere, with Richarlison producing a moment of genius from close to their halfway line.
Apart from that moment, it was all Arsenal, with the Lilywhites showing no signs of even trying to get back into the game after going behind. The display was so bad that Guglielmo Vicario even apologised to Spurs fans after the game.
Thomas Frank dodges a question about Tottenham’s xG
What will worry Tottenham fans is that this performance is not a one-off, as their side also delivered a similar display just three weeks ago in another London derby.
Tottenham had an xG of just 0.05 against Chelsea when the Blues beat them 1-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at the start of this month.
It was the same story against the Gunners, with Spurs having just three shots on target and registering an xG of 0.07 at the Emirates.
Frank mentioned at the start of his press conferences that there were differences between Tottenham’s performance against Chelsea and the one they produced against Arsenal.
When the Dane was asked to explain what those differences were, given the poor xG that Spurs had in both matches, he responded (via Football.London): “I think it’s also fair to say I need to look this game back. I have more just fresh in mind.
“I’m very emotional and frustrated, of course, right now. So please ask me about that question next time we see each other.”
There is a disconnect between Frank’s words and his actions at Spurs
Thomas Frank has said that he wants Tottenham to play in a ‘brave’ and ‘offensive’ style, but even the former Brentford boss’s biggest fans will concede that we have seen the exact opposite from his side so far.
Frank has also spoken about adapting his style of play at Spurs compared to the tactics he used at Brentford, but once again, we have not seen any evidence of that.
The 52-year-old is evidently a very likeable character and has the charisma and leadership to get players to buy into his methods, but the reality is that he will lose the dressing room sooner rather than later if the results do not improve.
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