Thomas Frank spoke after Tottenham’s Champions League draw with Bodo/Glimt.
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Thomas Frank has made a rather frank admission over his Tottenham team selection after Tuesday night’s Champions League draw with Bodo/Glimt. Spurs have developed a habit of falling behind over recent weeks, but they have also managed to come back on all three occasions, and they rallied back to draw 2-2 in Norway.
The last three games have been a reminder that Tottenham still have plenty to improve despite looking much more solid under Frank. Injuries haven’t helped during this period, with the likes of Dominic Solanke struggling with injury, and Xavi Simons is having to learn on the job in the absence of James Maddison.
And Frank himself has no issue in admitting that he doesn’t yet know his best or most reliable starting XI. “I think that's too early to judge, in my opinion,” he said after the game. “You can say we didn't play our best first half today, but I think I made it very clear from the beginning I have a big respect for Bodo, and everyone should have for what they do and what Kjetil Knutsen is doing.
“I think it's also fair to say that we didn't touch the ball in the first half last year either, and it was still 0-0 in that half. I think they were slightly better today in the first half, Bodo, so I think that's more respect to them. I think it's also fair to say that it went quite well against Wolves in the first half, so I know that's a bigger perspective.
“I think overall, you can say with a lot of games, that go-to starting XI you like to find at a certain stage, that's something I'm looking into, which is normal. A new coach, new players, and we still need to do a little bit of rotation.”
Solanke blow
Spurs are also having to rotate because of injury and the sheer volume of games, and it will be interesting to see if more changes are made this weekend when they face Leeds United.
One player Tottenham will remain without is Dominic Solanke, who is undergoing surgery. “Dom has got that ankle issue that’s been bothering him for a little while so now it’s time to make a minor surgery,” Frank confirmed on Tuesday.
“It’s a small procedure, so that will mean he’s not ready for (tomorrow). We will have more news about timeframes after the international break but I don’t expect it to be long.”