Three things we learned from Tottenham loss as Thomas Frank reaches tipping point with fans | OneFootball

Dane desperately needs support from ‘apathetic’ fans

Antoine Semenyo’s 95th-minute winner inflicted yet more misery on Thomas Frank, as Spurs fell to a 3-2 defeat away to Bournemouth.

Mathys Tel gave Spurs the lead early on, but Bournemouth hit back with goals from Evanilson and Junior Kroupi.

Joao Palhinha thought he had stolen a point for Spurs with an audacious overhead kick, but Semenmyo had the final say deep in stoppage time.

Here are three things Standard Sport learned from Spurs’ defeat at the Vitality Stadium...

Frank must win over ‘increasingly apathetic’ fans

It was on this ground a little over a year ago that Ange Postecoglu’s relationship with Tottenham’s supporters appeared to have reached breaking point.

Postecoglu confronted and pointed out a section of angry supporters in the away end at the Vitality Stadium in the aftermath of Spurs’ 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth.

It felt like the beginning of the end for the Australian’s relationship with the supporters.

It is not in Frank’s nature to be as confrontational, and while that is a commendable trait, it feels as if Spurs fans’ complaints are falling on deaf ears.

Morale is low in the Spurs squad and even lower among supporters

REUTERS

There was no fiery feedback from Frank on the full-time whistle as Spurs slumped to defeat, just a tentative walk over to the away end before retreating down the tunnel.

Spurs supporters want something to cling on to, an identity, a personality, a connection.

These are all things Frank is struggling to provide amid the pressures of a job he has admitted he is not enjoying.

Frank has been adamant that he has the backing of the club’s board - there is an understanding between him and chief executive Vinai Venkatesham about the time it will take to build something sustainable at a club that has lurched from manager to manager in recent years.

However, without the buy-in of an increasingly apathetic fanbase, Frank is quickly going to run out of time in the race to restore a sense of pride and purpose at a club drifting long before he took the reins.

Xavi Simons goes missing

A lot has happened since Xavi Simons last pulled on a Tottenham shirt, and not a lot of it has been particularly entertaining.

The Dutchman looked to have changed that on his first start back after a three-game suspension as he dominated the opening exchanges.

Playing off Randal Kolo Muani, Simons was able to float across the pitch, at one time leading the press and at another dropping deep to pick up the ball and drive Spurs forward.

Undercover: Xavi Simons went missing on Wednesday night

REUTERS

It was his delightful backheel, just his third assist since joining the club in the summer from RB Leipzig, that opened up the chance for Tel to score, and the 22-year-old linked the play superbly throughout.

As the game progressed, though, Simons retreated from view as Bournemouth took control.

It was telling just how few of those who impressed for Spurs early on reacted well to Bournemouth scoring, and Simons was among the guilty party.

Repeated mistakes cost Spurs

All the talk in the lead-up to the game was about the damage that Antoine Semenyo could cause on what looks set to be his final Bournemouth performance.

However, it was on the right flank where Spurs were punished as Marcus Tavernier turned the game on its head with two spectacular inswinging deliveries.

Marcus Tavernier gave Thomas Frank and Tottenham headaches at the Vitality

Action Images via Reuters

Tavernier’s ability to hit through the ball and find a man with a pass does not get spoken about enough, but it is also no secret, and Spurs should have known better than to let him on to his right foot not once but twice in the first half.

Pedro Porro and Djed Spence were simply too slow to close Tavernier down, and they were punished ruthlessly with Evanilson nodding in before Eli Junior Kroupi finished from Marcos Senesi’s cut-back.

Thomas Frank was left perplexed on the touchline as Mathys Tel handed his side an early lead. He will have been seething by the half-time whistle. Spurs did not learn their lesson, and at this level, that is unforgivable.

Concentration has been a big issue for Spurs this season, and they paid the price for not being alert enough to the danger Tavernier posed.