Something must change at Tottenham and there is one obvious place to start | OneFootball

Results under Thomas Frank have been decent but performances have been poor and it is not sustainable

Thomas Frank’s Spurs escaped from Monaco with a point despite being outplayed

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Two Champions League matches away from home, two points earned, and two worrying performances.

Tottenham snatched a point against Bodo/Glimt last month after a late comeback and on Wednesday they had Guglielmo Vicario to thank for the goalless draw they somehow earned.

Monaco dominated Spurs, particularly in the second half, and will wonder how they did not score three or four times.

Had this poor Spurs performance been a one-off, it would be fairly easy to find a positive spin. The team were a long way from their best but, away from home in the Champions League, found a way to hold on and grab a point.

The problem is this display was not the exception but it is increasingly becoming the rule and that does not feel sustainable. There is only so long Spurs can ride their luck - keep playing like this and defeats will regularly follow.

Spurs ground out a 0-0 at Monaco in the Champions League on Wednesday

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Creating chances continues to be a major problem and it seems strange that Frank is keeping faith in a midfield set-up that appears to be hampering the creativity.

Spurs rank second-last in the Champions League this season for shots on target, managing just six across their three matches.

Against Monaco, Frank again opted for the partnership of Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur and it is now two wins from the seven matches the pair have started in midfield together this season.

One of those came away at Manchester City, the kind of game where it makes sense to have the two sitting in front of the defence for protection. There is enough evidence, though, that it should not be a pairing that Spurs turn to for all occasions.

The passing is too safe and at times it is almost a 6-0-4 formation. Palhinha and Bentancur try to build up with the defence, the four front players stand high up the pitch and there is nothing to connect them. A long ball over the top for Mohammed Kudus to run onto becomes the solution.

Lucas Bergvall struggled at No10 against Monaco, just as Xavi Simons has for much of the season. Bergvall was sloppy on the ball but he also hardly saw it, with Spurs unable to play between the lines.

Bentancur played ten passes out to Pedro Porro and five back to Kevin Danso. Palhinha completed more passes to Vicario than he did to Bergvall.

Spurs had Guglielmo Vicario to thank for the goalless draw they somehow earned in Monaco

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Palhinha has been one of Spurs' best players this season and his off-the-ball work makes his place in the team essential but a tweak alongside him now feels necessary. Whether it be playing Bergvall in a deeper position or one of Pape Matar Sarr or Gray starting, Frank must not be so reliant on the safety blanket of Bentancur and Palhinha.

Not least, that is, because it is not even offering much safety. Monaco ran through Spurs at will and if that particular midfield is not providing protection, it is hard to see its purpose.

That ties into a wider theme on the frustration of Spurs fans. Frank's style of play was never going to be one of thrilling chaos, but the pay-off would be better results and improvements elsewhere.

The defence for much of the season has been significantly more resolute and Spurs have looked a mature, professional outfit.

However, the defensive record has dipped in recent weeks, with the Monaco match the first clean sheet kept in five matches. So too have results, Spurs picking up just one win in that run.

Frank's approach and the lack of attacking threat has therefore come into increasing focus. With away trips next up against Everton and Newcastle and games against Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain in the near future, there is little time on the training pitch for Frank to get to work. It is hard to see the team suddenly bursting into life in the final third.

Whether Spurs fans want to prioritise results or performances is a familiar debate, dating back well beyond Frank's time at the club. Right now his team are producing neither and that must change.