Alan Pardew has offered a pointed assessment of where Tottenham Hotspur are right now, backing Ange Postecoglou’s priorities last season while admitting he is struggling to understand what Thomas Frank’s side are meant to be under the new regime.
Thomas Frank continues to come under pressure at Tottenham Hotspur, given how his side have fared on the field since he took charge.
Spurs are not too far off the top five, with four points separating them, but it is the style of play that has left many wondering what the overall direction is under the Dane.
Last time out against Crystal Palace, Tottenham secured a 1-0 win, but on the balance of play, it was Oliver Glasner’s side who operated on the front foot and posed more attacking questions, while Frank’s side were forced to defend and see out an early first-half lead.
Alan Pardew questions Tottenham’s identity under Thomas Frank
Former Crystal Palace and Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has now shared his thoughts on Frank’s Tottenham and how they compare to Ange Postecoglou’s side of last season, reflecting on priorities, league position and the difficulty in defining what Spurs are now trying to be.
Pardew first referenced Postecoglou’s Europa League focus during the previous campaign and suggested that league form suffered as a result, explaining why Tottenham’s position may not have reflected their true level.
He told Sky Sports: “Firstly this goes back to that graph, they will not have finished 17th because Ange definitely kicked in, they will have finished some way halfway from that I think if he had played the front team all the time. But he was concentrating on Europe, hence their really low position. But where they are now it is difficult to kind of really add up what they are now, the Spurs.”
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He then turned his attention to Frank’s side, questioning their tactical identity and whether the head coach is being forced into an approach that does not suit his natural instincts.
Pardew added, “Sometimes I look at them and wonder what team they are. Are they a low block team that are going to counter-attack, are they going to dominate games, and I think the problem Thomas Frank has had really is hung form, and a hung form is when you have got to dictate the game, and this is not a natural for Thomas Frank’s teams. At Brentford they were always set up to counter-attack, so I think it is that adjustment being a bit of a problem.”
Pardew highlights European demands and Spurs concerns
Pardew also expanded on the wider issue of European football and squad depth, drawing on his own managerial experience to underline how difficult balancing competitions can be, particularly without sufficient depth.
Discussing the impact of European commitments, he said: “When you go back to the Europe problem, which you asked me, that is significant because if your squad is not deep enough. When we finished fifth at Newcastle, we went into Europe and I had a really difficult league campaign. We just could not do back-to-back games, and ironically, this afternoon we are coming to Crystal Palace, who have played 30 games this season because of Europe, and they are really finding it difficult now, starting to lose players, injuries, lack of energy.”
Pardew concluded by questioning whether Tottenham are masking deeper issues, while also acknowledging Frank’s strengths away from the pitch.