Tottenham Hotspur fans that were filled with hope in the summer will be horrified to learn their team are fated for a disappointing league finish this season under Thomas Frank.
Last season, Tottenham finally ended their 17-year wait for silverware by winning the Europa League. Shortly after, Ange Postecoglou was sacked, largely due to the fact the club finished in 17th place in the Premier League.
Thomas Frank arrived and many expected stability and pragmatism, but no one quite expected the football to be as bland as it has been at times this term.
Many were surprised by Frank’s unusual team selection and shape against Chelsea, and were equally shocked by the dismal display the Lilywhites put out at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Despite a relatively strong start to the season, things are not looking good for Spurs right now, and the predicted league table from Opta shows just how worrying this trend could be.
Tottenham’s predicted league finish
Before the season began, Opta’s supercomputer predicted Tottenham would finish 14th this season — a jump from last season’s 17th, but still far from good enough.
Fast forward ten matches and the supercomputer still doesn’t think Spurs have what it takes to breach the top half of the table come the end of the season. Right now, it has Frank’s side lined up for 11th place with an expected return of 55 points (55.47 to be precise).
That’s up from the 47 points it initially predicted back in August, but again, just highlights how little Tottenham have moved forwards in the two months since that first prediction.
Indeed, their chances of winning the league title still stand at 0.3% and they only have a 7-10% chance of qualifying for European football at the moment.
As per Opta, the likes of Newcastle United, Brighton, Bournemouth, and Manchester United will all finish above Spurs, while Aston Villa and Crystal Palace are set to finish in the top six.
With a lack of goals at Spurs, a growing injury list, and players seemingly turning on Thomas Frank this weekend, the future does not look too shiny at the moment for the North Londoners.
Have Spurs made any progress under Thomas Frank?
So, have Spurs actually made any progress since Thomas Frank took over from Ange Postecoglou? The team certainly look more organised and they’re not shipping goals anywhere near as regularly, but at the same time, there has been a sacrifice in the style of play.
Tottenham Hotspur is a club built on the tradition of playing exciting, attacking football and getting fans on their feet. Right now, that’s not happening.
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In fact, the fans are unhappy with the Tottenham players and they let them know that on Saturday. The Djed Spence and Micky van de Ven situation doesn’t help matters, either.
If Tottenham do finish 11th or 14th (or indeed anywhere in the bottom half of the table) this season, will that really be regarded as progress on what Postecoglou delivered last term? If there’s no trophy to counteract the league position, the answer to that question would be an unequivocal no.