Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank shouldered the full burden of responsibility for his side's humiliating 4-1 defeat away to arch-rivals Arsenal in the Premier League. The loss, characterised by a miserable performance from Spurs, saw the away end empty long before the final whistle as fans made their displeasure clear.
A Tactical Misstep and a Public Apology
Frank did not hide from his mistakes, admitting he got his tactics horribly wrong. He set the team up in a 5-4-1 formation, a system they had only used once before this season in the European Super Cup loss to Paris Saint-Germain. This defensive approach backfired spectacularly, forcing him to abandon the back three at half-time. The change had an immediate and disastrous effect, with Arsenal scoring just a minute into the second half to make it 3-0.
"I will always take the full responsibility. The full responsibility will always be on me today when we didn't perform," Frank stated in his post-match comments. He directly apologised to the travelling Tottenham supporters, acknowledging the performance was unacceptable for a derby of such magnitude.
Concerning Statistics Highlight Creative Woes
The match exposed deep-seated issues within the Tottenham squad. The team registered an expected goals (xG) figure of just 0.07 against Arsenal, which represents one of the two lowest totals they have recorded in the Premier League this season. The other, a mere 0.1 xG, came in a match against Chelsea at the start of November.
Frank conceded that his players were too passive and failed to create meaningful opportunities. While he acknowledged the concerningly low creativity, he pointed to a lack of aggression and failure in individual duels as the primary causes of the defeat. "We didn't win it enough in those situations and then create from that. For me the creativity... was not my biggest concern today," he explained.
Fallout and Plea for Patience
The result leaves Tottenham languishing in ninth place in the Premier League table, a staggering 11 points behind their title-chasing North London neighbours. Frank described the performance as "hugely disappointing" and a serious worry, especially after showing more fight in matches against Manchester City and PSG.
However, the manager also pleaded for perspective, pointing out the club's recent history. "It's also fair to say where we're coming from. We finished 17th last year," Frank noted, referencing their low league finish in the previous campaign despite a Europa League triumph. He admitted there is "a lot to work on still" as he attempts to build a competitive project at the club, a project that looked entirely absent in the capitulation at the Emirates Stadium.
