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Tottenham had Guglielmo Vicario to thank for the point they earned in Monaco on Wednesday night, as the two teams played out a goalless draw.

Thomas Frank selected an XI that had us all trialing configurations, but all became clear once Marco Guida blew his whistle for the first time on Wednesday evening. Archie Gray was at left-back, with the derided Rodrigo Bentancur and João Palhinha midfield retained.

I wouldn't say the team selection exactly inspired hope, and Spurs' first-half performance was perhaps what many expected. Monaco's man-orientation once again meant we were reliant on Mohammed Kudus' brilliance to get up the pitch, with central areas once again avoided.

We carried a threat from set-pieces, and should've made more of a couple of moments from open-play that fatefully won't count towards our xG haul. The real concern, though, were the chances surrendered in transition, with Guglielmo Vicario forced into one outstanding save after a Lucas Bergvall giveaway.

The second-half, however, made the first look like a Thomas Frank masterpiece. There was seldom positive to comment about the final 45 minutes, as Monaco asserted full control towards the end of the contest.

Spurs caved, offering absolutely nothing. They couldn't win a duel. How Monaco didn't score was a borderline miracle.

Anyway, the result was fine, so there's that. We remain unbeaten in the Champions League, but there are plenty of issues that Frank still needs to solve. Let's get into some player ratings.

Monaco 0-0 Tottenham player ratings

Goalkeeper & Defenders

Guglielmo Vicario (GK): 9/10 - Obviously the standout. Vicario made two outstanding saves on either side of half-time to ensure Spurs' drab performance wasn't punished.

Pedro Porro (RB): 5/10 - A lovely nutmeg and switch in the first half should have let to a moment of promise, but a loose Wilson Odobert touch saw the move break down. Otherwise, Porro struggled to execute.

Kevin Danso (CB): 6/10 - That long-throw did cause issues in the first half, but he didn't look particularly comfortable in possession, and Monaco had some joy later on at accessing his channel. Folarin Balogun certainly had more joy up against him.

Micky van de Ven (CB): 7.5/10 - While he was late to shut down his channel on occasions, some of his recovery defending was outstanding, and Balogun was a formidable opponent.

Archie Gray (LB): 7/10 - Bailed us out multiple times early on, and offered moments of dynamism in an awkward role. Moved into midfield for the closing stages. We need to see more of him.

Continued on the next slide...

Tottenham had every opportunity in the world to beat Monaco, but that all crumbled as soon as one player came off the pitch. Thomas Frank basically settled the 0-0 when he made the decision to bring Tottenham's MVP off.

This season, Thomas Frank has started quicker than anybody would have expected. While it's not popular to give any new manager praise this season, let's hold our hands in the air and say fair play to Thomas Frank.

Sure, he's not close to fighting for the Premier League title at this stage, but this was never Tottenham's objective. To have only lost two games all season so far is a far cry from Ange's shambles last season. Tottenham's style of play is also much more sustainable than it was under Ange.

And look, one new signing is largely to thank for this. Mohammed Kudus has set the world alight at Hotspur Way, and he's undoubtedly been Tottenham's most important player in the final third.

Mohammed Kudus didn't show up, but that's not Tottenham's excuse

However, Spurs run the risk of relying on Kudus too much. It was clear as day that tonight against Monaco, he was Tottenham's downfall. And he can be forgiven for that, after all, he's been ever so active for Spurs all season so far.

But what cannot be forgiven is no other Tottenham player stepping up during Kudus' off-game. It was almost like the Tottenham attackers were staring at Kudus and telling him to do something. In reality, they should have stepped up themselves.

Wilson Odobert was Spurs' best attacker on the night, but he went off shortly after a suspected knock. Odobert's performance was great, but he can hardly carry the weight of a Champions League game by himself. Kudus could, but again, it wasn't his night.

Richarlison, on the other hand, was physical off the ball, but his work on the ball left a lot to be desired.

Look, it's natural for a club to have its most important player. This isn't just limited to Tottenham, and it's almost impossible to avoid. However, the problem arises when that player is so high on a pedestal that others cannot take the weight when they naturally have off days.

And Kudus always had a mammoth task on his hands. Tottenham lost James Maddison through injury, and Son Heung-min left in the summer. Before Kudus, Madders and Sonny were Spurs' two most important players.

Touch wood, it doesn't happen, but tonight's performance casts an awful light on what might happen at Tottenham if Kudus were to pick up a spell of absence. Could Tottenham replace him in that worst-case scenario?

Tottenham Hotspur need a bounce back win on Wednesday night in the Champions League, and they will face a pretty tough team in Monaco in order to get back to winning ways. Last Sunday, Spurs dropped all three points in the Premier League, falling 2-1 to an Aston Villa side that have been arguably the most disappointing in the entire English top flight this season.

What didn't help Spurs was a key late injury, as Cristian Romero was scratched off the starting lineup due to a late adductor injury in warmups before the game. Although Kevin Danso stepped in and played well at center back, Tottenham were clearly hurt by not having the Argentinian international out there, especially from the perspective of progressing the ball.

Romero won't be able to play for Tottenham against Monaco either, and that's going to be a huge blow for Spurs against a Ligue 1 side that can be very dangerous from an attacking sense, especially if their young stars like Maghnes Akliouche go off.

But Romero isn't the only center back currently dealing with an injury. In the pregame press conference for Tottenham before the Monaco match, Spurs manager Thomas Frank told reporters, via The Spurs Express, that fellow center back Ben Davies is going to miss "weeks" with an injury.

Tottenham can't afford any more injuries

The Welsh international went down during the October international break with a hamstring injury, and he is going to be out of commission as a result. Although Davies is no longer a key player for Tottenham and could have honestly been moved this summer, losing Davies does hurt the team's depth at the position.

Without Romero and Davies, Tottenham are still waiting for Kota Takai and Radu Dragusin to return from injuries. Therefore, Micky van de Ven and Kevin Danso are the only 100 percent healthy center backs for Spurs.

Thus, Tottenham really can't afford either of those two standouts to get injured, especially if Romero also misses multiple games. Davies being on a timeline of weeks until a return from a tricky hamstring injury is tough, because he is literally in the squad to be available as a veteran presence, should injuries strike the top guys.

Tottenham have been ravaged by injuries already in the 2025/26 season, and while most of those absences have affected the striker position and other attacking areas, the center back position has now been struck, too.

On Wednesday night in the Champions League, Tottenham Hotspur will take on one of the darkhorse sides of the competition in Ligue 1 giants Monaco, and while Spurs would have liked to think that they were one of the darkhorse teams coming into the competition, they have lost that status.

After starting the season brightly by pushing PSG to their limit and blowing out Manchester City, Tottenham have struggled to put away inferior opponents and haven't really had a dominant win in weeks. Their latest disappointing display was a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa in the Premier League.

It won't get easier for Tottenham against Monaco either. Via Sky Sports, Tottenham manager Thomas Frank has told reporters that neither star center back Cristian Romero nor left back Destiny Udogie will be able to play against the Ligue 1 side on Wednesday night.

Romero was a late scratch on Sunday against Aston Villa with an adductor injury that could cost him a couple of more weeks of action, depending on how the World Cup and Europa League hero recovers. Meanwhile, Udogie was also a miss against Villa and remains without a clear timetable for a return.

Tottenham's left wing will feel the heat

Neither player was able to practice for Spurs ahead of the Champions League matchup, and so Tottenham will have to, once again, turn to Djed Spence at left back and Kevin Danso in the central defensive position.

While Spence is a decent player, he's clearly second best to Udogie, especially when looking at how much more Udogie adds in an attacking sense. Not having Udogie out there puts a lot more strain on the left winger, and given that Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel have their flaws at the highest level of competition, Udogie is going to be a big miss against a good Champions League team like Monaco.

Danso was actually great against Villa and is a top center back in his own right who has plenty of experience shining against Monaco specifically, dating back to his time in Ligue 1 with Monaco. But nobody, not even a quality player like Danso, can replicate what Romero brings to the table for Spurs, especially since he offers so much offensively as a progressor and passer despite being a center back.

Tottenham are already reeling after the loss to Aston Villa, and this team will find out a lot about what they are made of on Wednesday without Udogie and captain Romero available for Frank.

Tottenham have the chance to respond to Sunday's Premier League defeat in midweek, when they travel to Monaco for their third continental outing of the season.

Spurs were bad after taking an early lead against Aston Villa at the weekend, and they were made to pay for a dreary performance with the ball by two excellent Villa strikes. It was their first defeat since Bournemouth won 1-0 in N17 before the September break, but the display did shine a light on Thomas Frank's rather basic framework.

There's unlikely to be a major overhaul when they take to the field in Monaco on Wednesday night, but Spurs do have an opportunity to rebuild some momentum ahead of Sunday's trip to Everton.

Frank's side have recorded four points from their opening two league phase games, while the Ligue 1 side overcame their battering at the hands of Club Brugge to draw 2-2 with Manchester City.

The hosts currently sit seventh in the French top-flight, having parted ways with manager Adi Hütter earlier this month. Monaco are now led by former Union Saint-Gilloise boss Sébastien Pocognoli, who oversaw a 1-1 draw with Angers during his first game in charge at the weekend.

Here's our preview of Wednesday's Champions League clash.

Monaco vs Tottenham: Preview, Prediction & Lineups

What time does Monaco vs Tottenham kick off?

Monaco vs Tottenham kicks off on Wednesday 22 October at 20:00 BST.

When is kick off? Wednesday 22 October 2025

What time is kick off? 20:00 BST

Where is it played? Stade Louis II, Monaco

Referee:Â Marco Guida (ITA)

Monaco vs Tottenham head-to-head record (all games)

How to watch Monaco vs Tottenham on TV & live stream

Monaco team news

Supporters are likely to keep a close eye on playmaker Maghnes Akliouche, given our links to the 23-year-old in the summer. He could operate alongside a resurgent Ansu Fati off the shoulder of former Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun on Wednesday night.

Longtime Spurs defender Eric Dier is absent through injury, which is a shame, so two ex-Premier League defenders in Mohammed Salisu and Thilo Kehrer should start in Monaco's projected back three.

Lukas Hradecky, Christian Mawissa, Vanderson, Denis Zakaria and Lamine Camara are also sidelined, while Paul Pogba still isn't match fit.

Monaco predicted lineup vs Tottenham: Köhn; Salisu, Kehrer, Henrique; Diatta, Coulibaly, Teze, Ouattara; Akliouche, Fati; Balogun.

Tottenham team news

Are we into our first injury crisis of the season?

Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie's fitness setbacks mean Spurs could be without nine first-team players for Wednesday's game, with the aforementioned pair missing Sunday's disappointing defeat. While Frank has suggested neither player will be out for long, the quick turnaround means they will likely sit out in midweek.

James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski are long-term absentees in the creative department, and we're yet to see Kota Takai in Lilywhite after he picked up a foot injury at the start of his Spurs career. Ben Davies may also miss Wednesday's game.

Mathys Tel is ineligible, so Richarlison should get the nod up top in Dominic Solanke's continued absence. Randal Kolo Muani made his Premier League debut at the weekend but doesn't look ready to start.

Tottenham predicted lineup vs Monaco: Vicario; Porro, Danso, Van de Ven, Spence; Palhinha, Bergvall; Kudus, Xavi, Odobert; Richarlison.

Monaco vs Tottenham score prediction

Both teams are without several key names for Wednesday's bout, and Frank does have the advanatage of facing up against a manager who's new to the role.

Monaco were perhaps harsh to sack Hütter in favour of a manager with little experience of the top level. Pocognoli did do an excellent job in Belgium, though.

The nature of Sunday's performance certainly means I'm not confident, especially with the players we have out, but I'm not convinced that this Monaco side are particularly good. This may be an occasion where we don't need to be close to our best to prevail. Functionality could be enough.

Tottenham are targeting a swift recovery from Sunday's disappointment when they take on Ligue 1 outfit Monaco in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

Thomas Frank's side succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at home to Aston Villa after the October international break, having raced into an early lead. Fine finishes from Morgan Rogers and Emi Buendia helped the visitors turn the tide against the flat and dull Lilywhites, who struggled to build any second-half momentum.

It was a performance that thrust the spotlight onto the manager and led many to question his current approach. Whether there's enough time to oversee an overhaul in midweek remains to be seen, but supporters are keen for Spurs to produce a more dynamic showing with the ball in Monaco.

The extent of their improvement may well depend on who Frank has available. Here's how Spurs could line up for their third league phase outing of the season.

Tottenham predicted lineup vs Monaco (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper & Defenders

Guglielmo Vicario (GK) – You know that I'm on the Antonín Kinsky train and would absolutely bring him in here. However, this is a prediction of what Frank is going do, not what I want.

Pedro Porro (RB) – Spurs are leaning heavily on their right-sided combination, with Porro's distribution from deep attempting to make up for the shortcomings in midfield.

Kevin Danso (CB) – Cristian Romero's groin injury will likely keep him out here, so long-thrower Danso will continue at the heart of Spurs' backline.

Micky van de Ven (CB) – With Romero missing, Van de Ven should don the armband. The Dutchman partnered Danso in our previous league phase outing against Bødo/Glimt and was the skipper on Sunday.

Djed Spence (LB) – Destiny Udogie missed out at the weekend due to a knee injury, and although Frank believes the setback is nothing to worry about, the quick turnaround means Spence is poised to start again.

Midfielders

João Palhinha (CM) – Palhinha was superb without the ball on Sunday, and his limitations in possession were exacerbated by his partner. I also question whether Frank is instructing his pivot to avoid risky vertical passes through defensive lines. Anyway, Palhinha should get the nod again in midweek.

Lucas Bergvall (CM) – We can't have Rodrigo Bentancur alongside Palhinha again. Not after Sunday. Spurs desperately need a superior source of dynamism in their engine room, and young Swede Bergvall supplies it.

Xavi Simons (AM) – The Dutchman will look a whole lot better if those behind him are willing to pass forwards. At the moment, Xavi's moments are arriving far too infrequently, placing a greater onus on every sequence he does get to shine. Frank's structure isn't helping.

Forwards

Mohammed Kudus (RW) – An imbalanced attack means too much is being put on the Ghanaian's plate, and Udogie's absence means Spurs will likely lean on Kudus for attacking inspiration again on Wednesday.

Richarlison (ST) – Mathys Tel didn't do much with his 11 touches on Sunday, and I expect Richarlison to return to the XI here. When's Dominic Solanke back?

It was a Sunday that started with so much promise for Thomas Frank and Tottenham.

Sure, injuries to Destiny Udogie and Cristian Romero tamed the optimism plenty would've entered the day with after the victory at Elland Road two weeks ago, but there was a very brief period when it looked like Spurs had taken an early 2-0 lead over Aston Villa.

After Rodrigo Bentancur crashed home the opening goal inside five minutes, Mohammed Kudus thumped an effort beyond Emi Martinez, but the linesman's flag subdued Lilywhite enthusiasm.

Still, the hosts were well on top.

However, Spurs' promising opening act quickly faded into dreary monotony. Aston Villa weren't great, but they punished the hosts with two excellent finishes to turn the game on its head and escape with a 2-1 victory. It was a contest that neither team deserved to win, and our defeat thrust the spotlight onto Thomas Frank, who simply must evolve his framework in the aftermath.

Thomas Frank must evolve if he's to survive as Spurs boss

I'm a big fan of Frank, and accepted that the Dane's emphasis on defensive solidity, resilience and functionality was going to inhibit the fluidity and efficiency of our possession play at the start of his reign.

Before the October break, Frank had succeeded in ensuring his side were far tougher to beat compared to Ange Postecoglou's domestic iteration of the Lilywhites for the vast majority of his tenure. At the weekend, however, Spurs were defeated by a pair of strikes from distance, which involved the shooters having far too much time to let fly.

Still, the story of Sunday's game wasn't our concessions, it was the eye-gouging work with the ball that concerned the majority.

Frank's possession principles have never caught the eye, with his teams previously excelling on the counter-attack, and when they can create artificial transition sequences by utilising depth in the build-up, thus tempting opponents onto them and facilitating space for fast-moving attackers.

Right now, Spurs are operating with two triangles out wide which absolutely everything revolves around. The centre of the pitch has been made redundant, and debate has raged in the aftermath as to whether that particular avoidance is down to Frank's selection of midfield personnel, or if the manager exclusively wants his team to attack out wide.

If the latter's the case, then I feel for Xavi Simons. The Dutchman was another talking point from Sunday's game, due to his anonymity, but when we perform as we did, with central progression avoided like the plague, how can we expect our chief playmaker to develop any rhythm? He needs to be getting as many touches as possible, but only Wilson Odobert (29) and Mathys Tel (13) recorded fewer than our No. 7 (35).

Bentancur opened the scoring, but Frank's reliance on the Uruguayan is costing him; there's no two ways about it. I don't even understand his inclusion from a security perspective. He's proven to be a defensive liability over the past 18 months, and simply no longer performs with the elegance and, most importantly, consistency that he did at the start of his Tottenham career. Utilising Pape Matar Sarr or Lucas Bergvall alongside João Palhinha has to be the move going forward.

But, as I alluded to, I don't think this is solely a personnel issue. Spurs, in games where they're expected to dominate possession, are far too predictable. It's Mohammed Kudus or bust, and this reliance allowed the imbalance to resurface again on Sunday, after it dissipated during the 2-1 win at Leeds. The Ghanaian was off colour in the second half, rendering Spurs' efforts to restore their lead then work their way back into the game futile.

The set-pieces that looked so dangerous at the very start of the season have had their menace sapped, and, in times of strife, supporters are going to struggle to get behind Kevin Danso taking minutes off the clock to ensure his impressive long throw is optimally delivered. I can't deny their importance in the current landscape, but celebrating dead-ball situations makes the romantic in me weep.

If Frank's framework fails to evolve and he refuses to scale up his principles, we can only expect more outings like Sunday afternoon. Such dreariness had been covered up by results before the October break, but it won't be long until the charismatic Dane is feeling the heat if his team endure a slump and similar issues perpetuate. Football supporters are not the patient type.

Frank's current emphasis on risk-aversion and caution is emerging as the meta at the elite level, with Spurs' uninspiring and disjointed performance the sort that plenty of Premier League fanbases have been subject to at the start of 2025/26. The sport is suffering from an entertainment perspective, overall.

Tottenham Hotspur dropped more points over the weekend in the Premier League, this time losing out on all three points in what should have been a relatively easy win over an Aston Villa side that, to that point in the campaign, were even more disappointing than Manchester United.

Spurs barely had a better share of the position and totaled just one more shot than a team with less talent than theirs, losing 2-1 as Villa took their chances while Spurs, in all reality, failed to create many meaningful opportunities of their own.

What Tottenham fans are starting to realize - and what they should have already known as early as the first game of the entire campaign - is that there is a dire lack of star quality in the attack that still remains despite a pretty active summer transfer window.

Mathys Tel has shown flashes, but nobody should pretend that he is ready yet or praise him as such. The other strikers are abysmal or not healthy, meaning, no matter how you spin it, they aren't moving the needle for Tottenham and have one percent of the quality Harry Kane did.

It's Kudus or bust for Spurs

Only Mohammed Kudus is living up to his billing and looking like a legitimate starter for a club with Champions League qualification aspirations like Tottenham. The rest are either inconsistent, like Tel, or not even worth considering as starters.

Even Xavi Simons has been pedantic in an attacking sense, and if it were any other player without his name or price tag, they would have been binned. Now, Simons is still adjusting and should be afforded some grace, but, at some point, you have to call a spade a spade when the results aren't going the club's way.

Nobody is worthy of praise at this point besides Kudus. This isn't the time for participation trophies, and while there should be an acknowledgement that Simons will likely come good and that Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel are legitiamte talents of the future, the reality is that none of these three players are performing in the here and now.

And that doesn't even begin to get into the depth of the issue at striker. If Tottenham can't find someone who can even get 15 goals, let alone 20, in a Premier League season, they can kiss the top five goodbye with the competition honestly only getting better. The time for blind optimism must end, and the time for constructive criticism must heighten for Spurs.

Tottenham lost against Aston Villa, despite looking like the more active team in the attacking third. The reason why they lost is painfully obvious, and it's already an action item for Thomas Frank.

This season, Tottenham has started rather inconsistently. With an underwhelming 4-2-2 record, Spurs will want to have a better runout in their next 10 games.

Of course, there are many factors which could explain their inconsistent start. The first, and most obvious factor is that they have a new manager at the helm. Naturally, it will take Thomas Frank a bit of time before he finds his best squad.

Secondly, Spurs returned to the Champions League. They were used to European football last season, but let's face it, the Champions League requires more attention than the Europa League.

The third reason is that Tottenham doesn't even have a consistent squad. They have a squad that gets injured more often than it scores goals, so Thomas Frank can hardly be blamed for failing to go on a serious winning streak.

Against Aston Villa, though, Tottenham's biggest weakness was on full display.

The real reason why Tottenham lost to Aston Villa

Tottenham created three big chances but scored a laughable one goal out of those chances. Tottenham also held more possession (53%) than Aston Villa (47%) and created a higher xG (0.75) than the Villans (0.32). Yet, the one stat that matters most, is that Villa scored more than Spurs.

It was overarchingly obvious that Tottenham lacks a central threat. With Randal Kolo Muani only afforded 11 minutes, and Dominic Solanke injured, Spurs had no center forward who could finish their dinner.

It says a lot that Tottenham's midfielders, Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha attempted the most shots for Tottenham (2, matched by Wilson Odobert). This, if nothing else, tells the entire story.

But can Tottenham's former owner, Daniel Levy, really be blamed for this? After all, he already signed Solanke backup in Muani. It's hardly his fault that both the first and second option are injured, or at least recovering from injuries, right now.

But it's almost more difficult when there is nobody to blame. You almost end up wishing that there was, as if that would make the dilemma any easier to solve.

Right now, though, the only obvious solution is to sign a player in January who could at least fill the gap at center forward when needed. It isn't the first time that Tottenham has needed a plan C, and it won't be the last.

It always feels like a day of reckoning the morning after a Tottenham Hotspur loss, and one in which the club played this brutally against a beatable opponent like Aston Villa is bound to lead to overreactions and gripes from across the fanbase.

But since this isn't the first, second, or third disappointing display of the early Thomas Frank era in the Premier League, it's fair to say that not all of the strong reactions by Spurs supporters are necessarily overreactions either.

Tottenham were poor, no matter how you spell it, against Aston Villa. You can bring up the xG or whatever figures you want, but every single person who actually watched that game understands that Spurs did not deserve to win and did not play like a top five contender.

Although he had a goal contribution, Rodrigo Bentancur, once again, was at the heart of the criticism for an underwhelming, slow, and uninventive game. And at this point, starting Bentancur over Archie Gray is tantamount to malpractice, and if Frank continues to start the Uruguayan next to Joao Palhinha, serious questions have to be asked by the fanbase as to whether or not the new coach is even paying attention.

Rodrigo Bentancur is at the bottom now

Initially a key player for Tottenham after joining from Juventus, Bentancur is now next to last on the midfield pecking order ahead of only Yves Bissouma. Xavi Simons, Pape Matar Sarr, Lucas Bergvall, Gray, and Palhinha are all better and more important to the cause than Bentancur, who is materially offering Spurs nothing.

Meanwhile, Guglielmo Vicario also joined Tottenham as a star from Serie A and had his bright moments, and he's actually had a good season overall. But fans are scapegoating him nearly as hard as Bentancur, with Vicario doing nobody any favors with his display against Aston Villa.

His positioning, handling, and fundamentals leave Spurs fans feeling nervy, and even though he makes up for his errors with acrobatic saves, the mistakes are becoming too much to bear and a crux that leads to Spurs dropping points in the table.

Both of the goals by Aston Villa came from outside the box, and Vicario should have saved them both. He has to be doing better than this, and goalkeepers are paid for their ability to not lose games. Vicario is better than some people give him credit for, but with Antonin Kinsky talented and looming, it's not far off base for his detractors to say that Kinsky has now earned at least one or two starts over him in goal.