Tottenham Hotspur will face Newcastle United in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup after beating Doncaster Rovers.
Thomas Frank picked up another victory as Tottenham Hotspur avoided a cup upset against Doncaster Rovers.
Joao Palhinha opened the scoring before a Jay McGrath own goal had Spurs 2-0 up by half-time.
Brennan Johnson added a third late on, safely booking Tottenham’s passage into round four.
Thomas Frank shares Mathys Tel verdict after Tottenham Hotspur victory
This was another positive night for Tottenham, but Mathys Tel couldn’t seize his chance to shine.
Tel was recently left out of Tottenham’s Champions League squad, despite only completing a £30million permanent move from Bayern Munich over the summer.
The Frenchman showed some potential during his loan spell last season, but he has endured a difficult start to this season.
Tel featured as a striker in Tottenham’s 3-0 win over Doncaster, but squandered two great chances to score by failing to even make contact with the ball.
That summed up Tel’s start to the season, but Frank was still pleased with his contribution against Doncaster.
Speaking to Football London, Frank suggested that Tel’s display was actually a ‘step up’ and he was getting in the right positions to score.
Frank also claims that Tel isn’t in a bad run of form at all and praised his recent display as a striker against West Ham United.
“I don’t think he has a bad run, if I’m honest,” said Frank. “He played striker against West Ham, which I think he did quite well. Worked very hard for him to arrive in the right areas, which I think he did today. In terms of performance, that was a step up.
“Then we can look at the end product to score the goal, but the performance to arrive in the box I was very happy with. Just close with the first ball from Brennan, ready for the cutback. Second half got in there on two other good situations and had a nice shot. I think it was a step up in terms of performance,” he added.
Tottenham Hotspur fans shouldn’t give up on Mathys Tel
Spurs fans have been left frustrated with Tel’s performances this season, but it’s easy to forget that he is still learning.
Tel is still only 20 and deserves time to develop his game; for context, Harry Kane was coming back from a loan spell at Leicester City at the same age.
That isn’t to say that Tel can reach Kane’s heights, but it shows that it’s too early to write off a player of the Frenchman’s potential.
Kane has even praised Tel himself, having played together at Bayern Munich, with the former Spurs hero spotting real talent.
Frank appears to still believe in Tel, and Tottenham fans should keep the faith in him as he goes through a less-than-ideal start to the season.
Spurs need to figure out whether Tel is a winger or a striker, and then give him the chances to succeed – or that £30million deal will look like a mistake.