©IMAGO
For the fourth successive home game, Tottenham Hotspur fell short in front of their own fans after a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea. João Pedro scored the only goal of the game on 34 minutes after some fine work from Moisés Caicedo, the best player on the pitch. When the ball crashed into the net, the atmosphere fell flat. If there was noise throughout the game, it emanated from the away end. But there was a sense of resignation that it was always going to go this way. The margin of victory should've been greater too - indeed, it would've been without Guglielmo Vicario's reflexes in goal. Pedro Neto, Reece James and Enzo Fernandez all had chances for the visitors. At the other end, only Mohammed Kudus really tested Robert Sanchez. Thomas Frank, if he didn't know it already, is facing with an urgent problem: Spurs simply can't win at home.
Club Comparison
Tottenham Hotspur
Chelsea FC
Premier League
Premier League
€920.60m
Market Value
€1.14bn
First Tier
League Level
First Tier
€210.60m
Expenditures 25/26
€339.15m
Thomas Frank
Managers
Enzo Maresca
Full Club Comparison
Since their opening day 3-0 victory over Burnley, Spurs have played four, lost three and drawn one at home in the Premier League. During that disappointing run of form, Frank's men have produced five goals, while conceding five at the other end. And failing to find the net against Chelsea, one of the least-impressive teams on the road in the top flight, would have been deemed a failure against their bitter rivals. Curiously, their form on the road has yielded much more positive numbers: five games, four wins and a draw, 12 goals for and three against. So, is it the burden of expectation on them from 60,000 demanding Spurs fans, who pay one of the highest prices in the league for their season ticket? Or is it merely a case of Frank's football being more suited to away fixtures, whereby the onus isn't necessarily on Spurs to break teams down? Against Enzo Maresca's Chelsea, the likes of Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani struggled to stand out.
At Brentford, Frank had a knack for picking up surprise results against bigger teams. Now, with the pressure of winning much higher at a club of Tottenham's stature, the 52-year-old may be struggling to make that transition from a mid-sized club to a bigger one after spending hundreds of millions in the transfer market. Of course, it must be noted that Spurs look a more organised outfit under his tutelage than the tail end of Ange Postecoglou's reign. They don't look like a team that will lose 22 of their 38 games this season, that's for sure. But there is understandable concern at their inability to beat teams that many would expect them to. A 1-1 draw against Wolves at home, for example, was deemed to be unacceptable given that Vitor Pereira's men at rooted to the bottom of the table. The 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth exemplified many of their issues - both in creating chances and putting them away. Then a 2-1 loss against Aston Villa, a team with indifferent form this term, came after they took the lead.
It's difficult to judge a team after 10 games, and for Spurs, being third in the Premier League at this stage is a definite improvement on their 17th-place finish in 2024/25. But the gap to 11th is just three points, offering a warning of how quickly things could go south. Sooner or later, Spurs have to start winning at home if their ambition is to finish in the top five this season. Competition is rife, perhaps more now than ever before, with Bournemouth and Sunderland proving to be surprise packages. Manchester United have improved, Crystal Palace are a force to be reckoned with, and it's fair to say those teams have established they can win tough games at home. But can Tottenham? The jury is still out - especially after extending their winless run to four games in N17.