/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2026/02/09/image-ad556f31-5331-474f-b4f4-d10fd85f34ab-85-2560-1440.jpeg "'We are desperate to win games' - Frank seeking change in fortune, Kulusevski facing season KO - TNT Sports")
Tottenham Hotspur head coach Thomas Frank admits he is "desperate" to beat Newcastle United in the Premier League on Tuesday after another disappointing result and performance at Manchester United. Spurs are in the midst of a another selection crisis after Cristian Romero's suspension was compounded by an injury to Destiny Udogie. Dejan Kulusevski could miss the rest of the season.
Thomas Frank admits his Tottenham Hotspur side are "desperate" to end their slide down the Premier League table with victory over Newcastle United on Tuesday night, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
Spurs' 2-0 reverse against Manchester United last Saturday means there are just six points between themselves and 18th-placed West Ham United in the relegation zone.
Eddie Howe's Newcastle are themselves in the midst of a long winter of domestic discontent, with The Magpies struggling to replicate the success of their UEFA Champions League campaign on home soil.
Newcastle were beaten 3-2 against Brentford at St James' Park in their latest outing, so with the spotlight as much on Eddie Howe as it is on Frank, the Spurs boss knows the encounter at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will be a high-stakes affair.
"There's no doubt we are desperate to win games, desperate," said Frank, whose side last won a league game at home in early December.
"There should be that feeling when we haven't won enough. The way I work - we're all different - is that if you haven't won enough, you do everything you can, and you actually do a little bit more, and you work a little bit harder. You just know that's the way to get out of tough moments.
"That's what I expect from players, and I actually think that's what I see from the players. They run very hard and that's why I'm so annoyed we couldn't get anything out of the Manchester United game.
"I'm convinced, if it had been 11 v 11, we would have got something out of it.
"We haven't won enough. You need to be desperate, because if you're not desperate, you don't understand the situation you are in.
"That's what we want for the fans. That's what we want for the team, the club."
With Newcastle also struggling, Frank knows the importance of having supporters onside from the first whistle in what promises to be a tense atmosphere.
"I can say we desperately need them," Frank said of the spectators planning to attend the match.
"Of course, when you're a little bit down to the bare bone, not that many players, it's not that straightforward, it's maybe not as confident the team and all that, then we need to push together."
Frank refused to be drawn into a debate over whether his side were now embroiled in a relegation battle, after former Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney made the declaration in his latest podcast for the BBC.
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A spate of injuries derailed Tottenham under Ange Postecoglou last season, and something similar is starting to afflict the Dane's own team selection, with Destiny Udogie suffering a hamstring injury against Man Utd which is likely to rule him out for "four or five weeks".
James Maddison has already been ruled out for the rest of the season, while Cristian Romero begins a four-match suspension following his sending off at Old Trafford.
It means that Frank will have to find solutions in defence, while he is unsure whether winger Dejan Kulusevski will feature again this season following his lengthy lay-off.
Asked if the Sweden international will be able to feature this campaign, Frank conceded: "I don't know.
"Deki has got another appointment at the end of this week where we will know more, but of course, if he's out of the Champions League squad, it's a sign it is not tomorrow.
"I'm focusing on Newcastle. That's a great opportunity ahead of us against a good team. That's the main thing. Can we go out there and get three points tomorrow?
"That will be very good and then climb from there. Look forward. That's what we need to do. That's the main focus.
"I think we have [the quality to get out of this situation]. There are a lot of players out and that, of course, never helps.
"But I think I actually put a very competitive team out against Manchester United, and we looked good for the first 30 minutes.
"We lost two players for tomorrow [Romero and Udogie], but Djed Spence is back and [Radu] Dragusin looked good when he came back in.
"I know we'll put a very competitive team out tomorrow as well and then there should be hopefully a few more coming back after that, but let's see."
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