Thomas Frank experienced his first Premier League defeat of the season against Bournemouth.
Tottenham unveiled new signing Xavi Simons at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium only to taste defeat for the first time this season.
Bournemouth ended Spurs’ unbeaten run with a 1-0 victory, completely dominating the Lilywhites on their home turf.
Frank would have had a strong word with all his players at full-time, but perhaps a couple more so than others.
Thomas Frank will be furious with Pape Matar Sarr
Pape Matar Sarr seemed a player reborn under Frank, but was ineffective for Tottenham against the Cherries.
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The midfielder made zero key passes against Bournemouth, created zero chances and had not one shot the entire 76 minutes he was on the pitch.
His defensive stats were stronger. Sarr made one block, three clearances, two headed clearances and two recoveries. He also won three of his ground duels and two aerial duels.
However, here’s where things get interesting. Sarr was fouled the most in the match and was taken out three times. But he also made five passes into the final third, which was the second highest among the Tottenham players.
Meanwhile, Sarr was the heart of Spurs’ midfield against Manchester City both offensively and defensively. With the attacking threat he possesses, it is clear that Bournemouth’s high press was aimed at isolating Sarr in the midfield, limiting his ability to propel Tottenham forward.
While Frank will no doubt be disappointed in his performance, it serves as a wake-up call on how best to protect his best players against high-pressing teams.
What went wrong for Thomas Frank?
Tottenham were pinned back in their own half for the majority of the game. It was complete and utter domination from the Cherries’ point of view – but why?
Like Spurs did against Man City, Bournemouth were able to minimise Spurs’ attacking threat through their man-to-man press. The Cherries would exploit the spaces left on the pitch whenever a Spurs player stepped out of formation to regain possession.
This allowed them to move the ball effortlessly around the pitch and create several goal-scoring opportunities.
While this was not the be-all and end-all for Frank, it was a reminder that this is a team that still needs a lot of work.
There is no doubt a lot of positives from Spurs’ last three confrontations. But sometimes it’s the games that are lost where the most is learnt. It’s up to Frank to put that into practice.