Tottenham Hotspur head coach Thomas Frank is “convinced” he will still be in charge for their next Premier League game against Arsenal on February 22.
Spurs suffered their 11th defeat of the season on Tuesday when they lost 2-1 at home to Newcastle United. Frank’s side have reached the last 16 of the Champions League but have failed to win a top-flight game since they beat Crystal Palace on December 28 and are now only five points above West Ham United who occupy the final relegation spot.
Spurs supporters booed at half-time and full-time against Newcastle while they also chanted “you’re getting sacked in the morning.” In the second half when Newcastle were leading 1-0, they sang the name of their former head coach Mauricio Pochettino who led them to the Champions League final in May 2019.
Spurs have an extended break before they host their north London rivals Arsenal. Frank was asked if he would still be in charge for the visit of the league leaders in 11 days.
“Yeah, I’m convinced I will be,” Frank said. “I understand the question and I understand it’s easy to point on me but I also think it’s never only the head coach or the ownership or the directors or the players or the staff. It’s everyone.
“If you do something right, you build something that can last. Of course we are not in a top position now. Everyone knows, directors, ownership, myself, what position we are in, what we need to improve and what we need to do better. That is what we are working very hard on.”
Frank spent nearly seven years in charge of Brentford before he replaced Ange Postecoglou at Spurs last June and signed a three-year contract. The 52-year-old was asked after the defeat to Newcastle if he was still convinced he was the right person to manage Spurs.
“1,000 per cent sure,” he said. “I’m also 1,000 per cent sure that I never expected us to be in a situation like this with 11/12 injuries on the back end of this and what we have been facing. But I know when you need to build something and you need to get through things you need to show unbelievable strong resilience.
“It’s fair to say a few before me up here, not only for Tottenham but other clubs, have lost their head many times. I think you need to have a calm head, carry on, keep fighting. Keep doing the right thing, make sure we stick together because you can only get through this together and that is the board, that is the leaders, that is the staff, that is me, that is the fans, we will only get through this together.”
Spurs’ lengthy injury list includes first-choice full-backs Destiny Udogie and Pedro Porro, Rodrigo Bentancur, Mohammed Kudus, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski. Wilson Odobert is the latest name to be added to that list after he landed awkwardly on his left foot in the first half against Newcastle.