Evening Standard
·20. September 2025
Tottenham: Thomas Frank looking to right wrongs of previous defeats ahead of tricky Brighton test

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·20. September 2025
The Sussex coast has historically not been a happy hunting ground for the north Londoners
Your matchday briefing on Tottenham, featuring team news and expert analysis from Matt Verri
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There are not a lot of recent happy memories for Tottenham at the Amex Stadium.
Spurs fans will all too vividly remember last season's visit, a 3-2 defeat to Brighton and a result that the team's Premier League season never really recovered from.
Ange Postecoglou's side, at the time on a run of five straight wins, were 2-0 up at the break but collapsed in the second half.
It was miserable for Spurs a year earlier, too. They were 4-0 down with ten minutes to go and only late consolation goals from Ben Davies and Alejo Veliz added a modicum of respectability to the scoreline.
Add in a 4-1 defeat on home soil to Brighton last season and it paints an ugly picture of results and performances against this particular opposition under Postecoglou.
Thomas Frank, though, will not be burdened by those defeats. Asked if his preparations for this afternoon's trip to the south coast included watching recent meetings between the two sides, the Spurs boss was clear.
"I've watched none of them," Frank said.
"I've watched Brighton's first four games this season and then a few bits, some specific games from last season, because it was a little bit linked to how I want to do it."
How he will want to do it will be very different to how Spurs have been doing it at the Amex.
This is a tough test for Frank's side, coming at the end of a long week in which they have beaten London rivals West Ham and then began their Champions League campaign with a narrow win over Villarreal.
Brighton have not yet hit top form this season, but their win over Manchester City on home soil last month was a reminder of how dangerous they can be.
Frank made only a couple of changes in midweek and is not expected to name a significantly different lineup here, with the Spurs boss confident his players will still be fresh.
"At this stage of the season, there should be no problem," Frank said at his pre-match press conference.
"We’re in September. If we have a challenge now, then it will be very tricky in December, January, February and March, so we will be ready.”
Spurs have conceded 12 goals in their last four matches against Brighton but head into this match in much more solid shape.
Only Evanilson has scored against them this season. Frank's side have kept four clean sheets in five matches and there is a confidence in the defence that has been sorely missing in recent years.
The Spurs press will be tested and that could be key. The likes of Lucas Bergvall and Pape Matar Sarr are usually so energetic but should they start here, they will be doing so for the third time in a week.
With Brighton having had a full week to prepare, and being among the best at playing out from the back, a Spurs side that are even slightly off the pace in closing down will be punished.
Brighton's style can encourage teams to try and go toe-to-toe with them in what can resemble a basketball match. The Seagulls relished the space on offer against a Postecoglou side and ran Spurs ragged over the last couple of seasons.
This, though does not appear to be a Spurs side that will roll over like they did in those games or prove quite so fun to play against. Should that remain the case, the away fans might finally like to be beside the seaside.