“More wins, more often” was the phrase from a source close to the Lewis family last week, explaining the decision to remove Daniel Levy as chairman after 24 years. It was a reminder that ultimately it is what happens on the pitch, not in the boardroom, that fans care about. That is where they want to see results. That is where they want to see change.
And how better to start the post-Levy era than this 3-0 win? It is hard to imagine how Saturday evening could have gone any smoother for Tottenham Hotspur. Vivienne Lewis and her son-in-law Nick Beucher — two of the most influential members of the majority-shareholding Lewis family — were seated in between technical director Johan Lange and CEO Vinai Venkatesham in the directors’ box. They watched on as Thomas Frank’s side picked West Ham United apart, with a perfectly executed tactical masterclass, identifying West Ham’s weaknesses and mercilessly exploiting them. The Lewis family must know that things will not always look this easy.
Remember that the last time Tottenham won here at the London Stadium was almost six years ago, in November 2019. That was also the first game back after a cataclysmic international break; Daniel Levy sacked Mauricio Pochettino, six months after the Champions League final, and replaced him with Jose Mourinho. At the time, that felt like the end of the world. But in historical terms, it has little on the removal of Levy himself by the Lewis family last week.
It was difficult not to raise an eyebrow when Venkatesham twice referred to “business as usual” in his video interview released by Tottenham last week. That sounded like an impossibility after the sudden departure of the man around whom everything had revolved for almost a quarter-century. But the only way that “business as usual” might be possible is through wins on the pitch. The football calendar has a profound focusing effect on people. The games come twice a week and for as long as Spurs are doing well, that is what most people want to think about and talk about. Rather than the specifics of the UK Takeover Code, or the difference between an executive and a non-executive chairman.
But this new dynamic does place the club’s senior management under the spotlight. For years Levy was effectively the lightning rod for so many of the fans’ complaints. Now that he is gone, there is perhaps a degree of extra pressure on the people running the club. The fans will look for accountability somewhere else.
This is doubly challenging because so much of the club’s senior leadership is so strikingly new. Lange, sat next to Beucher in the directors’ box, is a relative veteran, having been at Tottenham for almost two years. Venkatesham and Frank both joined in June. Peter Charrington, the new non-executive chairman, did at least join the board in March. For better or worse, the club has lost decades of accumulated experience in recent months.
So much has changed this summer on and off the pitch that Frank already feels part of the furniture at Tottenham. This is just how quickly football moves at the top level: it is already difficult to imagine Spurs without him. Especially given that Frank provides such calm leadership as the public face of the club.
Watching this game at the London Stadium, it certainly did not feel like it was only Frank’s fourth league game in charge of Spurs. Partly because his brief reign already has an air of permanence and stability given everything else that has happened. But also because this game was a Frank masterclass, a perfect example of the strengths that he has already brought to this team. Almost everything you want to see from Frank’s Tottenham was on show here.
In their previous game against Bournemouth — which now feels as historically remote as the First World War — Frank picked the wrong team and played straight into Bournemouth’s hands. His side looked predictable, flat and very stoppable. This time Frank got it spot on.
Lucas Bergvall came in for just his second start of the season — how Spurs missed him from the start against Bournemouth — and he was exceptional, moving the ball forwards every time he got it. He scored Spurs’ second with a brilliant header, running onto Cristian Romero’s long pass and looping the ball over Mads Hermansen. Frank said afterwards that Bergvall “drags the team with him”, which is true, and a remarkable thing to say about a 19-year-old just starting his second season in England.
Tottenham also showcased their new-found excellence on set pieces. Their first goal came from Pape Matar Sarr heading in from Xavi Simons’ curled delivery. They should have been 1-0 up already, after Romero’s first-half near-post header was harshly disallowed. They already look a different team from dead-ball situations and yet this early into the Frank tenure, they are likely to keep getting even better.
Most impressive of all was the clean sheet. In Frank’s four league games, they have kept three clean sheets and only conceded one goal, Evanilson’s deflected shot two weeks ago. It gives them the joint-best defensive record in the league, along with Crystal Palace and Arsenal. Yes, the sample size is small, and it is too early to make big judgements. But on the limited evidence, it looks like a big step in the right direction from last season. Frank revealed this was his “first aim” when he arrived at Tottenham in June, and they have been working hard on it ever since. “Obviously we want to score, want to play offensive football,” he said. “But over so many, many games, that foundation, being able to get clean sheets is key.”
We are still in the very early days of the Frank tenure, even if it does not feel like it. He starts his first Champions League league-phase campaign against Villarreal on Tuesday night. It is a new step, a new challenge, but fans will trust that he can come up with some new answers. As Spurs keep aiming for that simple but lofty goal: more wins, more often.
(Photo: Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty Images)