Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank is coaching himself back into the dog house of Spurs supporters. After wins over two very easy opponents in Brentford and Slavia Praha to bounce back from a string of horrid performances that included losses to rivals Arsenal and Fulham, Spurs fell back down again with another atrocious loss, 3-0 to Nottingham Forest.
Spurs cannot even hold a candle to one of the worst teams in the Premier League, as this blowout loss to Forest was the latest new low in a season filled with them. And Frank is not doing himself any favors with his team selection.
There are so many talented players who are almost completely discarded by the uninventive Spurs manager, who seems to be playing favorites with some of the most inept veteran players in the squad. The likes of Richarlison, Rodrigo Bentancur, Guglielmo Vicario, and Pedro Porro are consistently among the team's worst performers and costing them points, yet they start every week without any competition.
Pape Matar Sarr is not being rewarded
Meanwhile, over the past month, young standout midfielder Pape Matar Sarr has started just one game. Sarr is buried on the bench, merely making cameo appearances for Frank. And what makes this all the more puzzling and frustrating for Spurs fans is that he was such a huge part of the team's success early in the season when Tottenham were actually winning games, as he looked like one of the best breakout center midfielders in all of European football.
Sarr was rewarded for his literal hard work on the pitch in winning possession and progressing the ball - while scoring important goals and assists for his country of Senegal - by being stuffed on the bench with now sparing starts and no sign of reprieve from his spell in Frank's dungeon.
And the thing is, Frank can't even use the excuse of having other talented young midfielders who merit minutes, because Spurs are currently starting the plodding veterans Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha in many of these games.
Because that is the Thomas Frank way. The Sarr benchings are an obvious admission from Frank that he has no interest in playing dynamic, front foot football. Sarr being on the bench for the likes of Bentancur and not getting any chances is a sign that Frank is not interested in playing the young players, fostering long term growth. He is about playing a select few players, playing boring football, and trying to prioritize a nebulous structure and defensive solidity that literally does not exist. Frank is clueless, and the Sarr treatment is the latest indication of this reality.