Brentford weren’t posed much of a challenge by Tottenham Hotspur as Thomas Frank returned to his former haunts on Thursday evening.
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Tottenham Hotspur turned in a performance devoid of any spark in the 0-0 draw with Brentford on New Year’s Day with manager Thomas Frank still having plenty to work on in North London.
Frank, who made the move from Brentford last summer, is expected to be backed with spending money in this month’s transfer window but there remain problems for the coach that finances alone will not solve. One of those is his side’s character, and it’s fair to say that can be readily seen in the frustrated Djed Spence.
There’s no doubting the quality of the England international, who has the potential to bring so much to the Spurs side. Even in an underwhelming outing at the Gtech Community Stadium, there were moments when the full-back was the best ball carrier for Spurs.
Jordan Henderson picks up on underperforming Tottenham Hotspur player
Those were, however, few and far between. It was largely a performance that lacked passion and conviction with LondonWorld rating the player a 4/10. We wrote: “A lazy performance. The full-back’s body language echoed the character of the Spurs side tonight. Keane Lewis-Potter was far more sprightly than Spence and looked a constant threat on that flank.”
Spence’s biggest concern in the first half appeared to be winding up the Brentford fans by taking a painstakingly long time to take throw-ins. His defensive work was pedestrian and it was something that Brentford noticed too.
Lewis-Potter never managed to find a clinical input on the game but his constant movement and drive was a huge juxtaposition to Spence. In the 29th minute, after Brentford failed to see the winger open to a pass, Jordan Henderson could be heard screaming ‘Keano!’ - a rallying call to tell his teammates to unleash the 24-year-old against Spence.
Thomas Frank must solve persistent Djed Spence problem
A minute after that moment, Spence lost Lewis-Potter again, looking behind him with a worried expression on his face. Yet, the recovery run to get back was casual and looked to be a jog at best.
It feels as if whatever Frank is doing is not getting the best out of the talented Spence. The duo already have somewhat of an unwanted history after the defender snubbed the manager when taken off against Chelsea. A similar fracas followed after he was taken off against Nottingham Forest.
Frank defended his man after that incident but more outings like the one against Brentford prove that the manager has not yet solved the problem of Djed Spence.
In other news, Medical booked: Tottenham agree club-record deal with Crystal Palace for first January signing.