Thomas Frank has issued a staunch defence of his Tottenham Hotspur players, Archie Gray and Guglielmo Vicario, following the individual errors that cost Spurs dear against Nottingham Forest.
Thomas Frank is not one to shy away from making changes to his squad ahead of matches, as has been evident so far during his tenure in north London.
The manager’s starting lineups are notoriously difficult to predict as he often mixes things up and looks to keep things fresh within the side.
However, in the last three games, one man has remained a constant figure, and that is Archie Gray, who has maintained a role as one of the pivots in the Tottenham midfield.
Thomas Frank backs Archie Grey’s mentality in a Tottenham shirt
Gray’s outing last time out did not go according to plan, as the teenager’s first-half error proved costly against Nottingham Forest, leading directly to the first of their three goals.
Frank has now addressed the midfielder’s mistake from last weekend, handing out praise to the youngster for his reaction to the setback during his pre-match press conference.
“He has been good,” the Spurs boss told the official Tottenham channel. “He wanted the ball back instantly after the mistake. I like that mentality. Everyone who has played football at this level has made a mistake.”
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It remains to be seen if the midfielder will keep his spot in the starting XI against Liverpool, although we have predicted the return of the double pivot of Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur against the Reds.
Frank also spoke up about Guglielmo Vicario, who has looked shaky at times this season. The Italian was the one who played the pass to Gray at the weekend, which invited pressure on the midfielder.
Last weekend was not the only time when Vicario’s passing has led directly to a goal, as his poor clearance against Fulham a few weeks ago proved costly.
Speaking on the Italian’s errors of late, Frank explained: “It is two completely different situations, one is a missed clearance which happens, the other one is more on Archie, he knows it is one-touch bounce.
“It is a situation we have seen a thousand times in England and across Europe.”