Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank has issued a staunch defence of his project, assuring supporters he possesses the blueprint for success despite a demoralising 4-1 defeat to arch-rivals Arsenal.
Learning from North London Derby Disappointment
In the wake of what he described as a 'hard watch,' Frank dissected the painful loss at the Emirates. The boss confirmed his team were "not good" and delivered a "bad performance," with the most galling aspect being their inability to compete. He revealed a damning statistic: in 53 duel and second-ball situations, Spurs came out on top in just 17. "If you don't do that, that is the basic, then it's very difficult to win a football match," Frank stated, pinpointing a lack of aggression and poor ball security as the core issues.
The Path Forward and PSG Challenge
Undeterred, the Danish manager projected confidence ahead of the team's daunting trip to face European champions Paris Saint-Germain. This match will be Frank's 20th in charge of Spurs, a tenure that began with a penalty shootout defeat to the same PSG side in the Super Cup. While early promise has faded with only three wins in the last eleven games, Frank's conviction remains unshaken. "There's one thing I'm 1000% sure of, I know how to build a team, I know how to build a club, and we will do that," he declared, emphasising the need to learn and move on from bad spells.
Squad Challenges and Team Building
Frank also addressed the ongoing process of moulding his squad, noting that the first four months have been a crucial learning period about the team and individual players. He acknowledged the significant challenge of a congested fixture list, stating, "we play every third day. That's the big challenge, but one I embrace." The team will be without Brennan Johnson for the PSG fixture, as the player serves a ban following a red card in the previous Champions League match against Copenhagen.
Concluding with a forward-looking stance, Frank expressed his conviction that the squad will bounce back, turning the page on the Arsenal setback as they prepare for another elite European test.
