Thomas Frank watched his Tottenham Hotspur side finish 2025 on a high after beating Crystal Palace 1-0 on Sunday. But the Dane remains under pressure and a former Premier League manager has questioned what his vision for the Lilywhites is.
Spurs' win at Selhurst Park was vital amid a nightmare start to the season in the league. Frank arrived as Ange Postecoglou's replacement in the summer but is already feeling the heat just five months into his reign.
The Dane will head into the new year desperately wanting to oversee a turnaround with his side sitting 11th after 18 games. There are question marks about his squad but also his own ideas for the North Londoners.
Alan Pardew ponders what Frank's focus is
Frank was expected to turn the tide when he replaced Postecoglou following last season's 17th-place finish in the league. The Australian coach was dismissed due to this dismal showing in the league despite guiding the club to the Europa League trophy.
Alan Pardew gave his thoughts about the Lilywhites' situation and argued that Postecoglou's men only finished above the drop zone last season because he was focused on Europe.
The former Newcastle United manager said on Sky Sports:
"They wouldn't have finished 17h because Ange definitely kicked in, they would have finished somewhere halfway from that if he'd played the front three all the time. But he was concentrating on Europe, and hence they were in a really low position."
Pardew touched on Frank's Spurs and struggled to work out what the plan is:
"Where they are now, it's difficult to really add up about what they are. Sometimes I look at them and wonder what team they are. Are they a low block team that are going to counterattack? Are they going to dominate games? And I think a problem Thomas Frank has had is home form."
Spurs have won just one home game in the league this season, and that came against Frank's former employers, Brentford. It's on the road when the Whites are at their best, and Pardew highlighted the problems:
"Home form is when you have got to dictate the game and this isn't a natural for Thomas Frank teams. At Brentford they were always set up to counter-attack."
Frank became one of the most highly-regarded tactitans in England during his time in charge of Brentford. He propelled the Bees to the top-flight and built on this by making them tough to play against.
The style of play he implemented at the Gtech doesn't quite work taking over Spurs. This backs Pardew's point about the team's difficulty controlling games especially at home.
Frank has been unable to get his 'risk-taking' methods across
There is an indecisiveness about the type of football Frank wants his side to play, which stems from his past pragmatic approach at Brentford. When he took over in July, his first press conference filled fans with optimism over an exciting brand of football.
Frank told the media:
âWeâll play risk-taking, aggressive football. We want to play forward, to attack.â
We have seen glimpses of this philosophy, including the 3-0 away win over West Ham United earlier this season. There were plenty of positives in the opening four games, but Frank's troops hit a brick wall and have stuttered since October.
Frank is one of the favourites with the bookies to be the next Premier League manager to be sacked. He will be feeling the pressure heading into the second half of the season, and there are many issues for him to deal with.