Tottenham: Thomas Frank shows value of good coaching ahead of late transfer dash | OneFootball

Spurs need new signings before the window closes but it has been so refreshing for a manager to improve a team through coaching

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It came at the end of a press conference that had been dominated by talk of spending or a lack thereof.

Having fielded questions largely centred on Eberechi Eze, Tottenham's transfer failures and whether he had a strong enough squad to compete this season, Thomas Frank opted to look closer to home when asked for his approach to finding solutions.

In a sport increasingly defined by uncompromising principles, where substance can play second fiddle to style, how refreshing it was to hear a head coach speak with such pragmatism.

Saturday’s win at the Etihad means Spurs have two wins from two under Frank in the Premier League

REUTERS

The transfer window can shape narratives more than results and who does what will dominate the agenda ahead of deadline day on September 1, but there is still a place for brilliant coaching to thrive.

Too often a new face in the dugout means talk of a squad overhaul. Players must adapt to a manager, not vice-versa, and we are told how many transfer windows it will be until judgement can be made. Until a squad is truly 'theirs'.

At Manchester United, hundreds of millions were wasted under Erik ten Hag to assemble what amounted to a woeful impression of his Ajax side.

The Dutchman was replaced by Ruben Amorim and many of that squad were suddenly of little use in his 3-4-3 formation. A 15th-place finish last season was explained away by the fact Amorim did not have the players to fit into his system. Cue an entire new front-line being signed this summer, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha deemed ideal fits for Amorim's preferred shape.

But what if that does not work out for United? Amorim will be sacked, the next manager will come in and be presented with a squad assembled with one rigid system in mind, where the focus has been on wing-backs and inside forwards. The hugely expensive cycle will start again.

It is possible for coaching to trump spending. Arne Slot proved as much last season, leading Liverpool to the Premier League in his first year in charge with Federico Chiesa as his only signing.

Frank is now flying that flag at Spurs, who have been visibly improved by his methods in the opening weeks of the season. That is despite only Mohammed Kudus and loan signing Joao Palhinha being added to the squad.

Frank’s tactics have made their mark at Spurs

Getty Images

A team that kept six Premier League clean sheets in the entirety of last season have kept two in as many matches under Frank. Spurs have been a mess from set-pieces in recent campaigns, but already significant progress has been made at both ends of the pitch.

Against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup, Frank's 3-5-2 system had Spurs moments away from victory. With just one change to that personnel and a switch to a 4-2-3-1 formation, Spurs earned a 2-0 win away at Manchester City on Saturday.

Frank's Brentford side largely played a 4-2-3-1 last season and relied heavily on Mikkel Damsgaard as the No10. As Spurs boss, Frank has lost Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison to injury so has compensated by packing the midfield with energy, creating chances by pressing high up the pitch rather than through a playmaker.

Frank, like any manager, would love his options to be strengthened in the transfer market. The squad is too thin and that will surely cost Spurs at some point this season.

Whether that is addressed or not, Frank can be backed to extract the maximum from the options available to him. How valuable a summer signing he is already proving to be.