It presumably wasn’t lost on any of the locals that Tottenham highlighted their greatest shortcoming by rolling out Glenn Hoddle for an interview at half-time of the 2-2 draw with Manchester United. What they would give for a fraction of his creativity among the current crop.
There ought to be a limit to the criticism that follows such a result against an in-form side and especially any wider inquisitions when the league table, in isolation, makes for vastly improved reading on last season.
And yet the manner in which it has been compiled does lend itself to questioning about where Tottenham truly stand under Thomas Frank.
Once again, as we have often seen so far this campaign, the style of play on Saturday failed to stir any pulses. Nor did it secure that rarest of rewards – a home win. As with the defeat against Chelsea, there were times when patience at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium appeared to be awfully thin among elements of the Spurs support.
Here, Daily Mail Sport runs over what went wrong and what went right…
Pondering the ponderous
If the low point of the season was the 0.1 expected-goals statistic against Chelsea, then a performance that generated two actual goals ought to be a signifier of progress. But once again, Tottenham’s forward movement against United was almost robotic.
At best, we would call it slow and predictable. With regards to the latter, opposition now know that all roads will lead to the wings and prepare accordingly. In the case of this match, Frank’s plan was clear – get the ball out to Brennan Johnson on the right or Richarlison on the opposite flank. Johnson, in particular, had some initial success against Patrick Dorgu but frequently then found himself swallowed up by Luke Shaw as United acclimatised to the threat. What did that leave? Not enough.
The lack of variety in Tottenham’s attacks was frustrating, especially through the middle, where United can look vulnerable. Indeed, Frank badly misses the versatility and ingenuity of James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, which says nothing for the absence of Dominic Solanke as an effective striker.
There could be a positive wrapped in that point – if Tottenham have reached the higher places in the table without them, then how will things look upon their return?
But that also risks disguising some glaring issues. For one, the temporary absence of Mohammed Kudus appeared to suck air from the balloon on Saturday. At times, there has been an overreliance on his creativity.
It is equally true that Frank remains unsure of his best combinations – against United, he tried Richarlison and Randal Kolo Muani together for the first time and it didn’t work. Kolo Muani was hooked at half-time and Richarlison botched a free header prior to his latest goal for that brief 2-1 lead.
For the time being, far too much onus under Frank has been placed on set-pieces and hopeful crosses into the box. The orchestration of quick, dynamic moves? The routing of traffic through central areas? Not so much. Three touches in the United area in the entirety of the first half was a stat every bit as damning as that XG tally against Chelsea.
Thin grounds for defence
Naturally, there has been an upturn in this area since Ange Postecoglou moved on. And no doubt Micky van de Ven’s hamstrings will thank the new manager for a deeper defensive line, but the rear-guard unit was a weak point on Saturday.
It will certainly disappoint Frank that against a limited United side, Spurs conceded twice from uncontested headers in their area. That they were United’s only two shots on goal told a story, though it should also be stressed that Ruben Amorim’s team deserved at least a point. If anything, it was United’s complacency at 1-0 up hurt them most, as Amorim later indicated.
Within discussions about the goals conceded, a question might also be asked about why Johnson was tasked with marking Matthijs de Ligt. It had appeared a mismatch earlier in the game and was highlighted more glaringly with the equaliser in stoppage time.
The mood factor
This might merely be the Tottenham condition, whereby an accumulation of decent numbers is never quite enough. To dare is to do, etc. But there is a palpable frustration around aspects of Frank’s approach.
The booing against Chelsea was replicated on Saturday when Frank moved to substitute Xavi Simons in the second half at a point when Spurs were drifting hopelessly towards a fourth home defeat in six.
That is a troubling scenario and quite possibly unfair given the timeframe and the scale of adjustment needed from Postecoglou’s brand of football.
Cause for optimism
The same substitution that was booed was one that helped turn the match – Mathys Tel got the goal for 1-1 – and Frank’s other in-game alterations also proved decisive. Wilson Odobert and Destiny Udogie were central to the fight back and amassed one assist apiece, and more subtly redressed the balance of the game.
As a pairing on the left, they were a substantial upgrade on the starting collaboration between Djed Spence and Richarlison, before the latter moved to a central position.
Frank warrants credit for making those changes and ought to have enough in the bank from his Brentford years for a bit of faith in his wider tactical work.