Tottenham Hotspur were held to a 2-2 draw by Manchester United in the Premier League on Saturday, with Thomas Frank's side scoring two late goals to salvage a point
Theo Walcott has jumped to Thomas Frank's defence after Tottenham Hotspur supporters voiced their frustration during the dramatic 2-2 draw with Manchester United. The Danish boss was subject to jeers from Spurs fans when he hauled off Xavi Simons in the closing stages of the match.
The 22-year-old midfielder, who joined the north London outfit from RB Leipzig for £52m in the summer transfer window, made way for Mathys Tel. Moments after entering the fray, Simons' replacement found the back of the net, firing home an equaliser from close range.
A few minutes later, Wilson Odobert, who had been introduced at the interval, set up what many believed to be the winner. Richarlison diverted the 20-year-old winger's curling effort past the Senne Lammens with a deft header.
Frank made numerous changes throughout the game, with some decisions proving more welcomed than others. However, the Dane ultimately breathed new life into his team, and they came within moments of securing all three points.
Speaking on Match of the Day on Saturday evening, Walcott called on Tottenham supporters to 'trust the process'. The former Arsenal forward said: "I don't think the Tottenham fans felt he got the substitutions right when he made them, to be honest.
"Odobert was absolutely outstanding when he came on. A player who has to be able to take risks and play with that freedom and the energy, and that's what you have to be able to do as a substitute; you need to be able to commit bodies.
"What I like about him, he likes to put the ball in when you have space, he likes to change his game – and this is what I talk about when I talk about not being predictable – when you give players, who are ball-carriers, in this amount of space, Manchester United start dropping."
Frank rang the changes throughout the encounter. He switched Pedro Porro for Destiny Udogie, introduced Rodrigo Bentancur in place of Joao Palhinha, and replaced Kevin Danso with Cristian Romero.
Walcott continued: "Udogie was fantastic as well, all three substitutions who came on all contributed. It just shows, trust the manager's process.
"I think that's one thing, as fans, when you watch games, you always feel frustrated in the moment, but they are there for a reason. Thomas Frank is a good manager, he knows exactly what he's doing and he's made the right decision."
Speaking to reporters at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium following the match, Frank reflected on the substitutions he had made. The Spurs boss said: "Yeah, sometimes you are lucky.
"But, of course, every single time I take a decision to sub a player it's with one aim - to make the team win or get back into the game or try to see the game out.
"It's with only one aim - to try to win the game. No doubt, Mathys did well, great goal, great involvement and in general I think Xavi played a fine game, positive, but also you need a bit of freshness."