Tottenham Hotspur sacked Ange Postecoglou in the summer but he had left them with a big opportunity against the odds.
Last time they faced Manchester United, Spurs won a chance to take a shortcut. The all-English Europa League final in Bilbao offered a springboard back to the Champions League for two clubs misfiring in the Premier League.
Yet they welcome Man United in the lunchtime kick-off in the Premier League on Saturday and, at least in the present, it’s Spurs who’ve got themselves into a muddle.
Spurs earned a fast-track back to where they want to be but they need to hold their nerve in the short term
At face value, Spurs should be in positive shape. They’re in sixth place in the Premier League table, two points behind second-placed Manchester City after 10 games. They’ve got every chance of progressing in the Champions League, too.
Peel away a layer or two, though, and Postecoglou’s parting gift is in danger of being undermined. In the aftermath of Daniel Levy’s departure and the change of manager, Spurs seem to be putting obstacles in their own way.
Just as United put together their best burst of form under Amorim, Spurs are showing serious cracks before the Europa League finalists meet again.
After their defeat by Chelsea on Saturday, Spurs’ world went haywire. Supporters, angered by the team’s near-total lack of impact on the match, rounded on Frank.
“For the first time this weekend, there were comparisons drawn with Nuno’s start at Tottenham,” wrote Daniel Storey of The i Paper. “Saturday was the lowest xG that Spurs have managed in the Premier League since that data was collected.”
On the pitch, defenders Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence were caught on camera blanking Thomas Frank. The subsequent silent stare back at them from Postecoglou’s successor spoke a thousand words.
The matter was addressed in classic football fashion, with Frank revealing that the players had come to him privately to apologise, but Van de Ven captained Spurs against Chelsea and his public show of dissent was damaging.
Van de Ven was among the Spurs players who spoke candidly against Postecoglou’s sacking, saying in the summer that many of the players liked working with him and were appreciative that he delivered silverware.
“That also shows that he has a certain quality and a winning mentality, 100 per cent,” Van de Ven said in June. “From that, you would of course say that it is strange that he was fired.”
Expected goals (xG) has been at the centre of the discussion. Spurs average around a goal per game, seven fewer than they’ve actually scored in the Premier League this season.
Putting three past Burnley, West Ham United and Everton isn’t much in the way of ballast for a team without a home league win since opening weekend.
In their last two league matches at home, losses against Aston Villa and Chelsea, Spurs amassed a combined xG of one goal. Against the Blues, they had three shots, one on target, and created no big chances.
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, the transition from Postecoglou’s approach to Frank’s more meticulous and measured strategy is proving turbulent for Spurs and, crucially, isn’t always easy on the eye.
Supporters can be surprisingly flexible when it comes to aesthetics but only when their team is winning matches.
Frank’s Spurs have offered precious little of that at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season and the direction of travel both on the pitch and seemingly in the dressing room does not bode well.
The advantage to which Postecoglou pipped Man United hasn’t been squandered yet. Spurs are sixth and in touch with the teams above them, and they’re poised to keep their Champions League campaign alive too.
What’s required is more course correction than U-turn, but they won’t get it without the manager, players and supporters pulling in the same direction.