Tottenham surrendered an early lead on Sunday as they shipped three points against Aston Villa - Football.Londonbrings you five talking points, including moments missed, from the frustrating 2-1 Premier League defeat
It's a new week for Tottenham and they must quickly dust themselves down as they prepare to head to Monaco for their latest Champions League group phase fixture.
The mood is likely to be dull following the agonising home collapse against Aston Villa but they remain unbeaten in Europe and will be keen to protect that record. Losing captain marvel Cuti Romero to injury was a major blow but there's cautious optimism he could yet return to action in time for the crunch meeting at Stade Louis II. Frank will have to select his starting XI carefully with his staff as a number of players turned in underwhelming displays on Sunday. But it's not the time to get too down about the defeat as the unforgiving schedule is relentless and the games only get tougher from here on in before next month's international break. Here are five points of discussion post-Villa and a few issues Frank must solve to get Spurs back to winning ways.
Tottenham's striker problem At the start of the campaign, Richarlison was a man reborn following his all-action Super Cup showing in Udine against Paris Saint-Germain.
But since then, he's failed to nail down a starting berth even though Dominic Solanke remains sidelined following minor ankle surgery. Frank is evidently a big admirer of Richarlison but he also believes in the potential of Mathys Tel - despite omitting him from his Champions League squad. The Frenchman was not at the races against Villa after netting at Leeds - missing a tap-in at the far post following a teasing Mohammed Kudus cross. Richarlison's brilliant Burnley brace was another reminder of the Brazilian's quality but if he can't keep his spot in the absence of Solanke, that is a concern because Tottenham do require attacking firepower if they're to achieve their collective targets this term. The fact it's difficult to pinpoint who is Spurs' main man through the middle 12 games into the domestic season is a slight worry and that's without even considering the early struggles of Randal Kolo Muani. The France international started his six-month loan spell at Juventus last season in blistering form but Frank desperately needs to get his attackers firing pronto as Spurs look blunt at times and are currently lacking a consistent source of goals.
Triple fitness worry You could argue that in some way it's vintage Tottenham that within the space of 48 hours, they’ve accumulated three injury worries. On Friday at Hotspur Way, Frank did not acknowledge that Destiny Udogie had picked up a problem with his knee. Perhaps he did know about it at the time or alternatively, he wanted to keep it under wraps while medical checks took place. The concerning factor with Udogie is that he missed the first three games of the season with a knee injury and it was a minor knee issue that kept him out of Sunday's defeat. He will be assessed this week but he's not the only player on the treatment table as captain Romero is also nursing an adductor issue. Frank does not believe Romero's problem is serious but Spurs really missed the World Cup winner's leadership, organisation and character at the back against Villa. Furthermore, Tel was also seen with a large ice pack on his calf/shin after being subbed for Richarlison on the hour mark. Tel struggled against Villa but he's still been in credible form of late for both club and country (France U21s) and Spurs need to utilise the depth of their squad with the games coming thick and fast. We'll hear more from Frank ahead of Monaco on Tuesday when he addresses the media ahead of the club's third Champions League group fixture in midweek.
Gory injury leads to bench meltdown You will have seen the second-half incident involving Kevin Danso and Lucas Digne. The Austrian defender cleared the ball and innocuously followed through, catching Digne's ankle with his studs. There was no intent there but the Frenchman received lengthy treatment and has now taken to Instagram to showcase the extent of the damage. The gash certainly isn't for the faint-hearted and will likely require a significant amount of stitches. “No pain, no gain," wrote Digne and the blow was eventually worth it as Villa trudged onto victory. But after he'd been replaced by Ian Maatsen on 82 minutes, he lost his head on the bench and ran up to the fourth official Anthony Taylor to show off his injury. He appeared to be angered by the fact Danso wasn't shown a red following the challenge and a clip of Digne's passionate remonstrations, taken from behind the dugout, has now gone viral on social media.
The Postecoglou problem still haunting Spurs Spurs have now dropped points in each of their past three top-flight home matches and since the start of last season, they have also surrendered more points from winning positions at home (19) than any other Premier League outfit. Last term, it was a hallmark of Ange Postecoglou's Europa League winners where domestic football was concerned but at the start of the season, Frank's Spurs appeared capable of changing that narrative. There was more steel and grit about their performances and although they threw away a late 2-0 lead against PSG in the Super Cup, there have been clear signals that this group has learned from the mistakes of the past. But Tottenham's home form, in particular, has raised further questions about their ability to control and see out matches. Rodrigo Bentancur's fifth-minute opener appeared to be the perfect platform to build upon but once Rogers levelled the scores, the anxiety crept in. Spurs were pushing hard to win the match but there was an anxious feeling within the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium whenever Villa launched second-half attacks. That is likely because supporters have seen the team crack on too many occasions when they are forced to endure a spell of pressure. However, there has to come a time when Spurs ride the storm and go onto win the game. They showed huge character at Brighton to wrestle back a draw but the sloppy points they've dropped on home soil could come back to bite them come the end of the season if this trend remains frequent.