Thomas Frank’s Tottenham Hotspur side earned a well-deserved 2-0 victory against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
Frank urged Spurs to be “aggressive” against Manchester City and the visitors’ fearless high-press was indicative of the fact that the players had heard his demands loud and clear.
Pep Guardiola would have learned plenty of lessons about where his City side stand after their latest outing.
One of them must have included his ongoing conundrum in the goalkeeping position, with Guardiola hinting James Trafford must earn his place as the 22-year-old is not his guaranteed number one — following his error that led to Joao Palhinha’s goal.
How Thomas Frank behaved with Pep Guardiola after Man City vs Tottenham
After witnessing the fascinating contest between the two sides, the next tactical battle between Thomas Frank and Pep Guardiola will be one to watch out for in January. Frank regards Guardiola as football’s greatest-ever manager and holds him in high esteem.
However, broadcaster Sam Matterface revealed that unlike other managers that are in awe of Pep Guardiola when they speak to him after games, Thomas Frank seemed to be conversing with him on a seemingly equal footing after the contest.
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Matterface said on talkSPORT Arsenal: “I was in the tunnel after the game on Saturday and he was having a chat with Pep Guardiola.”
“They were having a big old discussion and I’ve been in that position a few times luckily over the course of the last few years.”
Sam Matterface added: “And I’ve seen managers go in and talk to Pep and and Pep will sit there and sometimes those conversations are managers wanting to sort of kneel at the Messiah for you to get what I mean. they sit there and want to sort of, you know, just discuss things with him because he’s such a revered character.”
“But this was definitely a meeting of two peers having a genuine discussion about football. You know, it wasn’t as if he was subservient to anyone.”
“I think there’s a lot of respect in the game for what Thomas Frank has achieved at Brentford and what he could do at Tottenham.”
Thomas Frank’s record vs Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola must have grown even fonder of Thomas Frank’s tactical acumen than before after witnessing how well his Tottenham side played against Manchester City. The Dane’s side did ride their luck at times, however, with City fluffing their lines in front of goal.
However, with Tottenham beating City, the former Brentford boss’ record against Guardiola improved.
Thomas Frank earned only his third win against Pep Guardiola, losing five and drawing one out of his nine battles with the legendary manager. With Guardiola being the serial winner that he is, by the time the two sides meet next year, he would have a plan up his sleeve to trounce the 51-year-old.
However, Pep Guardiola’s full focus will now be towards helping Manchester City beat Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday before the first international break of the season begins.