Tottenham: Thomas Frank-enstein  | OneFootball

After another colossal and embarrassing defeat, many Spurs fans are losing patience with the monstrosity that is Tottenham Hotspur. 

Thomas Frank almost resembles a mad Danish scientist this week. He’s desperately trying to breathe life into his creation, but it just won’t respond. Made up of different parts in the wrong positions, his team is disjointed to say the least. 

A false start

Just as it seemed the tide was starting to turn, the Tottenham faithful have been brought back down to earth with that familiar feeling of disappointment. 

The recent 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at the City Ground was two steps back after positive steps forward. The shellacking came after a battling 2-2 draw in Newcastle, and solid wins against Brentford and Slavia Prague at home that gave the fleeting impression that Tottenham had turned a corner.

Tottenham Hotspurs’ recent form. Source: Sofascore

However, this was another dismal performance where the team failed to show any fight or desire. One shot on target is all they managed to muster, and that’s what the supporters are most concerned about. Losing is one thing, but the manner of defeats is the most alarming issue.

More mistakes

The first two Forest goals were definitely avoidable. Once again, fingers are pointing at Guglielmo Vicario. After his blunder against Fulham, he shouldn’t have given Archie Gray the ball in that position. Yes the young Englishman gave the ball away, but why do Tottenham persist with trying to play out from the back when they clearly struggle to do so?

They invite pressure on themselves and often give possession away. Callum Hudson-Odoi netted his second goal with what looked like a cross. Vicario’s positioning was questionable to say the least. He looked like he started to come for the ball and ended up in no man’s land as the ball sailed over his head and into the back of the net. 

All that being said it’s unfair to just criticise the goalkeeper, as every player in a yellow shirt was under par on the day. 

Swapped form

The one positive from the new management regime this season was the away form of the team. This is no longer the case and has seemingly swapped places with the home form in December.

In a true Jekyll and Hyde nature, there is no pattern or consistency to the results or performances of the team. Frank more than anyone will be scratching his head. Many are calling for him to be given time, the question is how much time?

What’s very clear: it is not the time to panic. Spurs are 11th in the Premier League, only six points off the top four. Things can turn around quickly in the beautiful game. But this weekend, the current champions are coming to town. Liverpool may have turned a corner themselves after beating Brighton 2-0 last weekend, so Frank will be hoping this doesn’t turn into the nightmare before Christmas.

Nearly halfway there

With the season nearing the halfway stage, Tottenham have played 16 games, won 6, drawn 4 and lost 6. They’ve scored 25 goals and conceded 21, with a points tally of 22. 

This is very similar to last season under Ange Postecoglou, with the Australian actually having a point more with 23 and sitting one league position higher in 10th. On this evidence there doesn’t seem to be any improvement in any area on the pitch, especially going forward. 

As perviously mentioned, it’s the manner of the defeats that are worrying. Much was made of the 17th place finish in the league last season and this number has continued to trend, even now. Tottenham are currently 17th for shots on target, 17th for xG, 17th for shot creating actions and 17th for points earned at home.

A present for the fans

Despite besting Brentford, lots more work needs to be done to improve at home.

The fans need to be a 12th man on Saturday, but this effort needs to be matched by the players on the field. The midfield against Forest really lacked quality. Elliot Anderson and Ibrahim Sangare ran the show last Sunday. This was topped by Sangare’s magnificent long-range strike for the third goal.

Whatever midfield pairing Frank goes with against The Reds they need to show 100% commitment from the first whistle.

There’ll be no room for error against the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch. Both teams have struggled this season though, so let’s hope Frank’s monster can be revived for some Christmas cheer and prevent the record in N17 for 2025 from becoming even worse.