Tottenham Hotspur fans are beginning to ask serious questions about new manager Thomas Frank, and while most fans agree that it is too soon to begin the carousel of head coaching changes all over again and introduce further instability into a club whose squad is still not all that great, the complaints about Frank are absolutely valid.
What Frank produced against Arsenal in the North London Derby on Sunday, en route to a 4-1 loss, is borderline unforgivable. And what really drives that defeat to the Gunners home is the fact that it's not the first time Frank did this, as his 1-0 defeat to Chelsea weeks ago was nearly as poor.
Instead of learning from his mistakes against Chelsea and getting better in an even bigger game, Frank took Tottenham several steps back, played ultra defensively, and still got absolutely spanked by Mikel Arteta and made to look like a second class manager who has no business running the show at Spurs.
Thomas Frank isn't fully on the hot seat yet
Frank can still save his job because the players haven't turned on him, but the same may not be the case for an even more highly rated manager who once led a team to an undefeated, record season for their first ever major title.
Xabi Alonso was supposed to be the dream long term successor to club legend Carlo Ancelotti. Instead, his Real Madrid tenure is shaping up to be a nightmare, and while the club have been backing him up against the egos in the dressing room, it's obvious that has never lasted for an unproven manager - or even a proven manager - at the most pressurized club in the world.
Superstar Vinicius Junior is quite vocally against Alonso, and now veteran Spanish journalist Jorge C. Picon is reporting that there are others in the Real Madrid locker room who have turned on the former Bayer Leverkusen manager. The situation, per Picon, is now "unsustainable" for Madrid, because there are "several players" who want Alonso out, with Picon adding that the number is greater than fans think. Furthermore, Picon states that there are even officials who think it is "necessary" for Alonso to go because of the "explosive cocktail" that is now brewing in the club.
So if Alonso were to be fired, he would immediately be a dream scenario for Tottenham fans. Those fans who want Frank out and are asked about valid replacements - since we all know Marco Silva and the like are merely lateral moves with no improvement - could then point to Alonso as the dream catch. We are still a ways off from getting to that point with either Alonso or Frank, but it's still a situation worth watching.