Thomas Frank was left looking stunned at what he was seeing as his Tottenham side were brushed aside by local rivals Arsenal on Sunday evening. Spurs were soundly beaten 4-1 by the Gunners, with Richarlison's wonderful long-range effort nothing more than a consolation.
Several first-team players proved to the manager that they can't be fully trusted in a big game. The visitors looked to be hanging on for dear life before Mikel Merino's superbly timed pass found Leandro Trossard in acres of space for the opening goal. Eberechi Eze added two strikes at either side of half-time before completing his hat-trick late on. Richarlison's effort led to some Arsenal nerves, but Mikel Arteta's men were still good value for the win.
Defeat sees Tottenham drop to 8th in the Premier League table, while their biggest rivals pulled six points clear of Chelsea at the top. Seeing the Gunners move closer to a first league crown in over two decades would have stung for Spurs fans, but not as much as the performances of this below-par quartet. Frank has some serious thinking to do ahead of the PSG clash in midweek, especially when it comes to the performances of four men.
Joao Palhinha
First up is a man who looked to be a shrewd signing at the start of the campaign. Joao Palhinha was a monster during his first stint in the Premier League with Fulham. However, his return to England has started going downhill... fast.
The Portugal international's ability to put out fires and sniff out danger in the engine room is still there, but we're seeing glimpses of why it didn't work out at a club like Bayern Munich. Palhinha is limited in possession and struggles to keep the ball moving effectively enough to warrant a guaranteed starting berth. Fans were quick to point out his disappointing display at the Emirates, with one claiming: "Should’ve known what we were in for when he chose to sign Palhinha over a proper passing midfielder. That represents everything Frank has tried to do with this team."
Another added: "Palhinha is shockingly bad. Bentancur is worse somehow. Both need shipping off," with a hint at the player we'll be getting to next. The final nail in the coffin for the defensive midfielder came when a third stated: "Palhinha btw. I've given him countless chances to show his worth; the guy is so poor. Couldn't care less how many tackles he makes. Been useless today and I don't want to see us sign him at all. Painfully average footballer."
Rodrigo Bentancur
Palhinha's midfield partner, Rodrigo Bentancur, couldn't escape the frustration of supporters online either. The two men were absolutely dominated by Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi and Eze in the middle of the park. That's often the case for midfields going to Arsenal, but the manner in which they rolled over was worrying.
One fan was adamant Frank should be answering for his decision to constantly choose a pairing that clearly doesn't work: "Playing Palhinha and Bentancur together more than 3 times should be a sackable offence alone."
Destiny Udogie
Destiny Udogie hasn't been a regular starter under the former Brentford boss. Off-field issues may have played into that, but the young Italian also just doesn't look suited to Frank's system. A player who burst onto the scene as an energetic full-back who wanted to overlap at every given opportunity, now looks like a shadow of his former self.
He couldn't cope with Bukayo Saka at all and was sloppy in possession. Udogie lost the ball 13 times, which only invited even more pressure onto his team. Whether it was just a poor day at the office or a sign that the left-back may struggle as long as the Dane is in charge is yet to be seen, but the early signs are more than worrying.
Kevin Danso
Some eyebrows were raised when the teamsheets showed Tottenham lining up with Kevin Danso alongside the first-choice centre-back pairing, Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero. There was some sense to the decision as, on paper, it would provide defensive stability while also giving Danso the opportunity to cause havoc with his long throw-in.
In reality, it was a totally different story. The Austrian fell asleep for the opening goal as he allowed Trossard to drift away from him and into the penalty area unmarked. His poor performance was compounded by a half-time withdrawal, showing Frank knew he'd got it wrong. Danso actually won all three of his duels, but was an obvious target for Arsenal's press as his on-the-ball capabilities are extremely limited.