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Thomas Frank has insisted that all is well in the Tottenham camp, despite the antics of Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence immediately after Saturday's defeat to Chelsea.

Spurs, having exited the Carabao Cup days prior, were nothing short of dire against the Blues, as their wretched run in the fixture perpetuated. Chelsea have now won five on the bounce head-to-head, and none came easier than their most recent success.

It had the makings of a special north London night, but the fantasy of a statement win was usurped by a glum reality. A Lilywhite team bereft of courage and intent barely laid a glove on one of their most bitter rivals, and the nature of their performance doubtless left factions of the fanbase in a state of consternation.

Many accepted Frank as the ideal successor to Ange Postecoglou, but some are starting to feel that they're yet to receive what was advertised from the Dane. Spurs have been a tough watch for much of the Frank era so far, and it felt like a nadir was reached in Saturday's defeat.

Thus, player frustrations would've been understandable, but seeing Van de Ven and Spence defy the manager's instructions in the aftermath was a worrying look.

Frank confirms Van de Ven and Spence apologies for post-Chelsea antics

Frank sauntered onto the field after shaking hands with Enzo Maresca, prepared to embark on his usual routine. Vehement boos rang out inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as they did at the half-time interval, with supporters manifesting their discontent at what they'd just been subjected to.

The first two players he encountered, Van de Ven and Spence, as I'm sure you've all seen, walked straight past their manager and down the tunnel. Frank encouraged the pair to applaud the home faithful, but neither obliged.

The previous Sunday, Frank and Van de Ven were full of glee in tandem as they walked over to the travelling supporters at Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium off the back of the Dutchman's match-winning brace. So much can change in such a short time at this football club.

Suddenly, the mood in N17 is bleak again, with the post-match sequence on Saturday sparking murmurs of potential dressing room discontent.

However, Frank hasn't allowed the situation to intensify, immediately describing it as a "small thing". Ahead of Tuesday's more important than it felt a week ago clash with Copenhagen, the manager confirmed that the two shunners apologised to him: "Micky and Djed came into my office yesterday [Sunday] unprompted to say sorry. They were just frustrated."

Hopefully, that is the end of that. The horror performance Frank's side produced on a significant occasion meant emotions were sky-high in the aftermath, and the incident perhaps felt more seismic at the time. All is well in the Lilywhite camp, but boy, do they need to offer supporters something on Tuesday night.

Everyone knows that Son Heung-min had more goal contributions in the Premier League than any other Tottenham Hotspur player last season. And yet knowing full well that Son was going to leave the club on a high note as a Europa League champion and ride off into the sunset to Los Angeles in MLS, Spurs still never adequately replaced him or even signed anyone on that left wing.

Son's overall quality, goals, and, yes, assists have been sorely missed by Tottenham. There is no pretending that Spurs were ever going to replace a legend that quickly, but the void left by Son has been so profound and immediate that it is just as gaping as the one yet to be filled by the departure of Harry Kane the year before to Bayern Munich.

Because it's not just the goals that Spurs are missing with Son's departure to LAFC. Tottenham are also missing his overall style of play, explosiveness, and willingness and intelligence as a runner to stretch the entire defense, changing the entire tactical board and the complexion of the game.

Tottenham can't get forward

Tottenham have played a staggering four through balls in the Premier League this season. Four. That statistic may not jump out to everyone as being as abhorrent as it truly is, so it requires a bit of context. The other top clubs in the Premier League have nearly 10 times that number. Comparable clubs like rivals Arsenal and familiar foes Manchester United and Aston Villa are at 38, 31, and 28 through balls played this season.

So Spurs aren't just trailing the biggest clubs in the Premier League, but they are also trailing clubs they should be comfortably beating in the table in terms of playing through balls. That's a sign that Tottenham are, as everyone can clearly see on the pitch, struggling to stretch the field and get any real forward play going in their attack.

Not having a field stretcher with the speed to burn, the willingness to run forward, and the smarts to beat the line at the right time is a huge, huge loss. And the fact that nobody has filled in to step the void is both embarrassing and entirely predictable when looking at the personnel Tottenham have now rather unwisely assembled to fill out what is a quite obviously underwhelming and cumbersome attack. Four through passes in 10 games is beyond abysmal, especially when the league average of 18.5 is nearly five times what Spurs have.

Under Ange Postecoglou, Tottenham Hotspur were used to having half their squad injured with his demanding style that involved running players into the ground, and while you could say that all that running has caught up to the players and bled into the 2025/26 season, it also simply looks like Spurs are just plain unlucky on the injury front.

James Maddison, Dominic Solanke, and Dejan Kulusevski are the three major players with significant injuries that have been reaggravated or were already existing in the 2024/25 under Big Ange, and so many more players have been added to the injured list in the last several weeks so far in the 2025/26 campaign.

And now Tottenham have yet another key player to add to their injured list as they stare down another gauntlet of games, having just come off a horrid 1-0 loss to rivals Chelsea in a match that could have easily been an even bigger blowout.

According to Spurs manager Thomas Frank, via The Spurs Express, young star center midfielder Lucas Bergvall did indeed suffer a concussion against Chelsea. The consequence of that brain injury is that Bergvall will now have to miss the subsequent two games for Tottenham, which will include Tuesday night's Champions League encounter with Copenhagen and then this weekend's Premier League battle with their former Europa League Final opponents Manchester United.

Tottenham have huge problems in midfield

Although Bergvall hasn't been a regular starter under Frank, only a fool would deny the Swedish international's importance to Spurs. They may not have won that aforementioned Europa League title without the teenage sensation, as Bergvall is one of the best young midfielders on this planet and honestly should be playing a lot more than he is this season.

Hopefully, Bergvall can be back for Spurs in time for the even bigger upcoming games against North London rivals Arsenal and old UEFA Super Cup foes - and reigning Champions League winners - PSG in their toughest Champions League matchup to date.

Time and time again, the Tottenham Hotspur attack has tamely offered nothing and been shut out completely from games. So while Saturday's horrible 1-0 loss to rivals Chelsea was certainly not the first such occurrence of the season, it was perhaps the last straw for many fans: an international showcase of incompetence to the masses that was merely the feather in the fecally-stained cap of this denture-less attack.

Spurs don't have a legitimate striker, their left wingers are far too raw to be ready to start for a Champions League club, and hyped up attacking midfielder Xavi Simons has fallen so far below expectations that he is legitimately one of the team's worst performers in the 2025/26 campaign.

Tottenham came into the season with an attack so bad that they were 17th in the Premier League, and Thomas Frank is rapidly realizing how low the quality standard is at Spurs. He surely misses Bryan Mbeumo, Mikel Damsgaard, Yoane Wissa, and the rest of his crew from Brentford, because they were light years better than the incompetent group (sans Mohammed Kudus) he has before him at Tottenham.

Tottenham were historically poor

On Saturday, Spurs put up a historically bad 0.05 xG against Chelsea, meaning their attack was so useless they may as well have played with only defenders and would have fared better as a team. Frank addressed this without mincing words at the post-game press conference, absolutely slamming his attacking players in the process: "I would say [Tottenham's lack of attacking threat and xG] hurt massively. I've never been in charge of a team that created that little in one game. That, of course, I will look into what we can do to make it better."

Now that is a heck of a statement from Frank, and it's one that Tottenham fans won't take lightly. That's because it is an admission of what Spurs supporters have been clamoring about for months, back when they were begging the club to sign an actual superstar player in the summer transfer window or provide them with a star on the left wing to replace Son Heung-min.

Tottenham Hotspur have put themselves at a crisis point after Saturday's 1-0 loss to Chelsea. Though the margin of the defeat doesn't look too bad on paper, any Spurs supporter who witnessed the carnage before them against one of their greatest rivals had to come away highly concerned with the performance from Thomas Frank's men.

Now heading into the toughest part of their schedule, Tottenham are about to show their fans what they are made of, and, so far, it doesn't look good for Spurs. The team is overly reliant on a few players, and you almost shudder to think what Spurs would look like this season without the signing of Mohammed Kudus, who has been the clear standout of a woeful attack that looks exactly like the attack of a team that finished in the table last season.

On Tuesday night, Tottenham will be back at it again with a Champions League date against one of the competition's easiest opponents in Copenhagen, and nothing less than a professional display will be expected, especially from this sagging attack.

And now, there will be no excuses for this unit. Thomas Frank confirmed to reporters ahead of the Champions League tilt, via The Spurs Express, that the injury concerns regarding star winger Mohammed Kudus can be put to the side. Kudus is merely suffering from a knock and could be able to play against Copenhagen.

Mohammed Kudus is all Tottenham have

With Dejan Kulusevski still injured for at least several more weeks after a knee injury to close the 2024/25 campaign, Kudus is all Tottenham have at the right wing position. And they don't really have much on the left wing.

Well, technically, Tottenham do have another option on the right wing in Brennan Johnson, but time and time again, the Welshman has shown that he isn't a valid option on the wing, beyond a timely poached goal that falsely inflates his reputation for a few weeks before the amnesiacs in the Tottenham fanbase snap out of their slumber and remember that he painfully stinks on that right flank.

Tottenham having Kudus on the pitch against Copenhagen will be a huge relief, but it also means that the rest of his teammates have to step up. They know Kudus will put in the work and create chances, but someone in the attacking midfield needs to help him and absolutely someone at striker needs to finally step up and score them.

After falling flat on their faces on Saturday evening, Tottenham have the chance to deliver in front on the Lilywhite faithful when they host Copenhagen in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

Thomas Frank built up the London derby and insisted his players would rise to the occasion, but supporters were instead subject to an all too familiar feeling of disappointment when Chelsea came to town.

Spurs were nothing short of abject against the Blues, failing to muster an ounce of momentum on home soil as the visitors had their way with a framework that continues to look primitive.

Evolution is necessary, and a convincing display is very much needed against tame European opposition in midweek. This is our first competitive meeting with Copenhagen, but we did draw 2-2 with the Danish giants in a pre-season friendly back in 2004, with Jacques Santini leading the Lilywhites that day.

The visitors currently sit fourth in the Danish Superliga, and they've started their league phase campaign with two defeats and a draw. Borussia Dortmund ran out 4-2 victors against our upcoming opponents in Gameweek 3.

Here's our preview of Spurs' clash with Copenhagen.

Tottenham vs Copenhagen: Preview, Prediction & Lineups

What time does Tottenham vs Copenhagen kick off?

Tottenham vs Copenhagen kicks off on Tuesday 4 November at 20:00 BST.

When is kick off? Tuesday 4 November, 2025

What time is kick off? 20:00 BST

Where is it played? Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London

Referee:Â Erik Lambrechts

Tottenham vs Copenhagen head-to-head record

This is the first competitive meeting between Tottenham and Copenhagen.

How to watch Tottenham vs Copenhagen on TV & live stream

Tottenham team news

There are a couple of fresh concerns from the weekend, with Lucas Bergvall's concussion ruling him out for the next two games. He'll also miss Saturday's clash with Manchester United.

Mohammed Kudus and Djed Spence missed training on Monday, but Frank has said both could be available on Tuesday night. Destiny Udogie's return means Spence may start on the bench anyway. Kudus may be preserved for the weekend, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see him included in the team from the outset in midweek.

Bergvall's absence could see Xavi Simons retain his place in midfield despite his struggles at the weekend. Unfortunately, it's hard to envisage Frank deviating away from the midfield pivot where ball-progression ceases to exist.

Dominic Solanke, Archie Gray, Yves Bissouma, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Ben Davies, Kota Takai and Radu Drăgușin remain sidelined. Cristian Romero should be back in the starting XI.

Tottenham predicted lineup vs Copenhagen:Â Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Palhinha, Bentancur; Kudus, Simons, Odobert, Kolo Muani.

Copenhagen team news

The visitors have made the trip to north London without a few notable names, including experienced midfielder Thomas Delaney, who's absent due to a knock.

Marcos Lopez is a new addition to the injury room after being withdrawn in the weekend's win, but he has been included in the travelling squad. Oliver Hojer, Magnus Mattsso, Rodrigo Huescas and Birger Meling are all absent, though.

Copenhagen have former Borussia Dortmund starlet Youssoufa Moukoko in their ranks and he's likely to start up top, but 17-year-old Viktor Dadason is one to watch off the bench after he became the third-youngest goalscorer in Champions League history against Dortmund in Gameweek 3.

Copenhagen predicted lineup vs Tottenham: Kotarski; Suzuki, Hatzidiakos, Garananga, Zague; Achouri, Lerager, Clem, Elyounoussi; Moukoko, Claesson.

Tottenham vs Copenhagen score prediction

Saturday's defeat and the subsequent reaction means this has suddenly turned into a big game for Frank, who may have turned a few believers into doubters at the weekend.

Copenhagen should be cast aside with aplomb, but this Spurs team isn't capable of blowing anyone away, especially not on home soil.

Thus, I'm expecting this one to be a grind. I'm not particularly looking forward to it, but the returns of Romero and Udogie should help considerably.

I suspect we may make this one more nervy than it should be, but we'll do enough to get the job done.

Tottenham Hotspur are back to being the laughingstock of the league for a week, as their tepid performance against Chelsea was a reminder that, yes, this team more than deserved to finish 17th in the Premier League, even wores than a Manchester United side they barely scraped past in the Europa League Final.

Spurs supporters fed into Ange Postecoglou's narrative too hard, and now Thomas Frank has to be the scapegoat when he's trying to do the best he can with a team that is legitimately less talented offensively than the mid-table Brentford side he previously coached.

Honestly, there are quite a few players on Tottenham who deserve far more criticism than they are getting or are overpraised, but no player stands out more for being mediocre to subpar yet praised to the moon by a certain subsection of fans than left back Djed Spence.

Quite frankly, Spence's disrespectful snub of Frank and his blatant insubordination is alarming for a player who has been horrible this season. As much as people buy into his silly memes of locking down attacking players in his supposed penitentiery, Spence has been a fairly average defender statistically with 1.1 tackles, a meager 0.2 interceptions, and 0.6 dribbles completed per game.

Tottenham need to cut him loose

And offensively, Spence is borderline untenable and one of the worst fullbacks in the entire Premier League on the ball. He averages just 0.2 key passes per game, 0.7 dribbles per game, and 0.3 fouls drawn per game with more than two direct turnovers given up per match. Spence is atrocious offensively, creating almost literally nothing while failing to progress the ball meaningfully, and when he has to start over Destiny Udogie, the entire team crumbles.

The record of Tottenham on the pitch with and without Spence is stark, and yet there are Tottenham fans who praise him for being a great, scrappy defender. In reality, when he starts, he is one of the worst starters on the pitch, and he is regularly one of the least impressive players for Spurs, never meaningfully impacting the game.

Tottenham struggle to push forward and create so often, especially on that left flank, when Spence is in there, and that's no coincidence. Now, that doesn't mean Spurs are all that great without him, but Spence is an albatross to this team.

Preaching patience is important, but after Tottenham's jarring 1-0 loss to rivals Chelsea that, again, felt a lot more like a 5-0 defeat - and would have been without the continued heroics of Guglielmo Vicario in goal - Spurs supporters are quickly running out of patience.

Thomas Frank and the players are equally under a microscope for their roles in Tottenham's inability to play up to the standard of a team competing for the Champions League, and instead of stepping up to the big competitors as has traditionally been the case for Spurs, the Chelsea defeat is a warning shot that the tough schedule to come could be Frank's undoing.

His ballyhooed attacking midfield signing, Xavi Simons, has perhaps come under the most fire after another lackadaisical display in the middle of the pitch. Simons arrived to Tottenham with major hype after being close to a Bundesliga Player of the Season caliber player for RB Leipzig, but whereas Florian Wirtz has shined despite intense spotlight, Simons has managed to skate by with poor performances and very little mainstream criticism.

Well, that has certainly changed after Simons dropped an absolute dud of a performance in one of Tottenham's biggest matches of the season. Chelsea made mincemeat out of Spurs and Simons in particular, with the Dutchman looking far too slow both physically and mentally for the Premier League, which, unfortunately, has been the case for more than just this game.

Xavi Simons isn't meeting expectations

There are glimpses there, but glimpses are not worth the more than 50 million pounds it cost Spurs to sign him. Because instead, Spurs could have signed a significantly better, arguably generational, playmaking prospect in French left-footed Rayan Cherki, who joined Manchester City on a release clause worth nearly 20 million pounds less.

Simons was a great player in the Bundesliga, but Cherki was transcendent and squarely on Spurs radar. After struggling to get on the pitch due to injury, Cherki is flying high, and he just pulled out a brace of assists for the Citizens, which is something Simons has never come close to doing in the Tottenham kit.

Cherki is special, and Simons can be, but for the price and for the technical quality, Tottenham went with a lesser player. And Tottenham put themselves behind the eight ball with Cherki because of the whole Ange Postecoglou fiasco, failing to fire him soon enough before transitioning to Thomas Frank and opening up the possiblity of a Cherki move. Looking back, this may be the transfer Spurs regret if Simons doesn't step it up.

GK Guglielmo Vicario

Distribution was not great but had a good game in goal. Kept the score down and made some particularly good saves towards the end of each half. His positioning helped deal with some excellent Chelsea through balls as well. The loss today was not on Vicario. Â Rating: 7

RB Pedro Porro

Porro’s delivery has been a highlight this season, so it was strange to see that side of his game so poor today. Struggled to contribute going forward. Improved defensively in the second half but, like a lot of the team, couldn’t adapt to being given so little time on the ball.  Rating: 4

LB Djed Spence

Like Porro, Spence was limited going forward. Was better defensively though, doing well against Neto and putting in some strong challenges, particularly towards the end of the game. Was partly at fault for the situation that led to the goal, initially dribbling inside and trying to overplay, though Micky van de Ven and Xavi Simons had opportunities to clear afterwards. Â Rating: 5

CB Kevin Danso

Looked indecisiveness on the ball early on, caused by Chelsea’s press, and never really adapted since. Always committed, Danso struggled to impose himself on the game as he has been able to recently. Also lost a few physical challenges, which is unusual. Not his best game at all, and we needed more.  Rating: 3

CB Micky van de Ven

After his start to the season, this was not a game to remember. At fault for the goal, even if it was Simons’ weak pass that was the critical mistake, as he had two chances to clear and overplayed. Seemed to misjudge a lot of long balls. Improved when Christian Romero came on but this was a rare poor performance from Micky. Rating: 4

CM João Palhinha

Palhinha put in his usual number of strong challenges but was overrun in midfield by Caicedo in particular. Put in plenty of effort along with his tackles but struggled on the ball. Too often Palhinha looked like he wanted to get rid of the ball quickly which is another result of not dealing with the opposition press. As a result, passes seemed more hopeful than measured and gave the ball away. Â Rating: 4

CM Rodrigo Bentancur

Like Palinha but with less involvement in the defensive side of the game. Played the same hurried passes and looked uncomfortable in possession, which is usually a strength of his. Played a lot of the game further forward than we often see and did not seem to show the creativity needed in that role. Misjudged one ball that dropped to him in the Chelsea area from a throw that would have resulted in a good chance. Was also very fortunate not to be sent off in the first half. Rating: 3

CM Pape Matar Sarr

Our midfield was so overrun at times that it is difficult to distinguish Sarr’s performance from Bentancur’s or others as well. Plenty of running and effort but the game mostly seemed to pass him by. Once the Chelsea goal went in, Sarr found it even more difficult to get involved. Did not offer enough going forward and could not do enough defensively to stop Chelsea playing through. Has had much better games and will do again. Today was a struggle.  Rating: 3

RW Mohammed Kudus

Again, our only attacker who looked likely to create something, which is becoming a worrying trend. Even Kudus was off the pace today though. Had our only chance of the game and took it well enough but saw his shot saved. Faded in the second half and needs a lot more help going forward, especially in a game like this. Rating: 5

LW Xavi Simons (for Lucas Bergvall)

Simons was a substitute but came on very early for Bergvall as a concussion sub. Again, no lack of effort from Simons but not much went right today. Found it difficult to hold on to the ball and was too easily knocked off when in possession. The vision, ability, and awareness to create chances is there but Simons was again not able to impose himself on the game in which to do so. An example being an excellent stepover in the second half to beat his man, only to then be knocked off the ball (fairly) and lose possession straight after. Rating: 3

CF Randal Kolo Muani

Improved from last week’s performance at Everton, Muani still found it difficult. Was able to hold up the ball a bit more than we have seen before and had a good run in the first half which led to the Kudus chance. We didn’t see much more of Muani after that though, and our attack has looked very short recently from open play.  Rating: 3

Substitutes: Richarlison, Destiny Udogie, Christian Romero, Brennan Johnson, Wilson Odobert

Encounters with Chelsea have rarely proven fruitful for Tottenham, but Thomas Frank will know that his team are facing a vulnerable iteration of the Blues on Saturday evening.

Enzo Maresca's positional approach was seized upon by Sunderland last weekend, as the impressive Black Cats claimed a dramatic late victory at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea subsequently returned to winning ways in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, holding off Wolves' second-half resurgence to win 4-3.

Spurs, on the contrary, exited the competition after a 2-0 defeat at Newcastle. Frank's men performed well in spells, but Antonín Kinsky's error for the Magpies' second stifled our hopes of coming from behind on Tyneside.

The hosts head into Saturday's game three points better off than their London rivals, who are down in ninth in a compact Premier League after nine games. However, the Blues have so often asserted their superiority complex to great effect in this fixture, and they've won nine of the previous 11 meetings.

Thus, a victory for Spurs here has the potential to truly ignite Thomas Frank's reign after a bright enough start.

Here's our preview of Saturday's London derby.

Tottenham vs Chelsea: Preview, Prediction & Lineups

What time does Tottenham vs Chelsea kick off?

Tottenham vs Chelsea kicks off on Saturday 1 November at 17:30 BST.

When is kick off? Saturday 1 November, 2025

What time is kick off? 17:30 BST

Where is it played? Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London

Referee:Â Jarred Gillett

Tottenham vs Chelsea head-to-head record (last five games)

How to watch Tottenham vs Chelsea on TV & live stream

Tottenham team news

Frank has confirmed that Cristian Romero, Destiny Udogie and Wilson Odobert are all available for selection on Saturday after brief absences. Romero and Udogie have missed the previous four games due to their injury setbacks, while a side strain kept Odobert out out action over the past week.

Chelsea's issues against man-oriented back threes means we could see Romero join a defence that also contains Kevin Danso. Pedro Porro and Djed Spence may operate as wing-backs, with Udogie ready to make an impact off the bench.

Despite welcoming three back, the injury list remains lengthy. James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Archie Gray, Yves Bissouma, Radu Drăgușin, Kota Takai and Ben Davies are all out. Dominic Solanke won't be back until after the international break.

Tottenham predicted lineup vs Chelsea:Â Vicario; Danso, Romero, Van de Ven; Porro, Bentancur, Palhinha, Spence; Simons; Kudus, Kolo Muani.

Chelsea team news

Liam Delap's quick-fire double yellow on Wednesday night means he's suspended for Saturday's game, but the Englishman was unlikely to start anyway, having just recovered from a knee injury. João Pedro should lead the visitors' line despite his dip in form.

Cole Palmer is still out, and Chelsea also have Benoît Badiashile, Dário Essugo and Levi Colwill on the sidelines.

Brazilian pair Andrey Santos and Estêváo may have played their way into Saturday's XI after impressing at Molineux. Wesley Fofana could return to Chelsea's defence.

Chelsea predicted lineup vs Tottenham: Sánchez; James, Fofana, Chalobah, Cucurella; Caicedo, Santos; Estêváo, Fernández, Neto; Pedro.

Tottenham vs Chelsea score prediction

My head is telling me that Chelsea show up, as they almost always do in this fixture, and walk away with three points. However, my heart is giving me hope.

Frank has a good record against the Blues (W3, D3, L2), and his adaptability matches up well against Maresca's rigid approach, which can be easy to game plan for. Spurs will go man-to-man in a bid to stifle Chelsea, and we saw Sunderland get the better of the Blues through the astute positioning of their full-backs.

There's plenty of quality within the visitors' ranks, but I think Frank could outmanoeuvre his opposite number and inspire the hosts to a rare triumph against our London rivals. It could be a special night under the lights in N17.