Joao Palhinha has had mixed fortunes at Tottenham since he arrived from Bayern Munich, which has seen Jamie Carragher change his mind on the Portuguese star.
Over the weekend, Tottenham Hotspur were beaten 1-0 by their London rivals, with the manner of the defeat causing supporters great frustration.
Now, Thomas Frank’s honeymoon period has well and truly come to an end, with many supporters quickly growing tired of his style of play as a manager.
One of the key reasons why his team are suffering has been highlighted by Jamie Carragher, who is unsure about the Dane’s summer signing.
Jamie Carragher slams Joao Palhinha’s inability to progress the ball
Carragher has been quite critical of Joao Palhinha’s inability to progress the ball and has called for Frank to fix Tottenham Hotspur’s midfield.
Just a few days ago, Carragher said Palhinha was Tottenham’s best signing and suggested he was just what the new Spurs boss needed.
But, against Chelsea, Palhinha was poor, and the Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football team have highlighted how low the Spurs midfield ranks for progressive passes.
The Lilywhites created the lowest xG they’ve ever recorded in the Premier League at 0.05, which was partly down to their Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur double pivot.
When asked about whether Tottenham’s lack of line-breaking midfielders was an issue, Carragher told Sky Sports Monday Night Football: “That’s the problem, and for me, for Thomas Frank, that’s something he has got to grow; he’s early in it, and one of his first signings is Palhinha.
“Now, he is not capable, I don’t think, of doing this. There is a reason why teams in the Premier League didn’t buy him from Fulham, and there’s a reason why Bayern Munich bought him and didn’t play him. That’s a worry.
“But for Thomas Frank moving forward, you think of pragmatic managers in the past, they’ve made that jump from a smaller club to a bigger club. That has always been the problem: Can they coach the rotations, the build-up play to break the lines?”
Carragher also questioned Xavi Simons, who is another player having a tough time at Tottenham under Frank.
The 22-year-old was subbed on after five minutes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, only to be hauled off in the 73rd minute.
Thomas Frank can’t select Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur together
Frank must quickly end his experiment of partnering Palhinha with Bentancur, or he risks alienating the fan base in North London.
Neither midfielder is particularly strong when it comes to creating chances, meaning Spurs are struggling to build from the back.
The former Brentford manager must consider bringing in Pape Matar Sarr for one of the two, but in fairness to Frank, he has been limited by injuries.
Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall are both sidelined right now, leaving Sarr, Palhinha with Bentancur as his options against Copenhagen.