Frank doomed at Spurs as Arsenal repeat makes bored supporters send clear message in Brentford draw
Following an initial bounce, it has gone badly pear-shaped for Thomas Frank at Spurs quickly.
Appointed as the polar opposite of Ange Postecoglou to build firmer foundations for Spurs to build upon, Frank helped his side make a strong start to the 2025/26 campaign with their newfound defensive solidity.
However, this has papered over the cracks at Tottenham, with their underlying issues becoming increasingly visible as the season has developed.
Spurs, like most Premier League sides this season, have been marred by inconsistency, though there have certainly been more lows than highs for Frank and his side.
The north London outfit occupied a false position in the opening weeks of the campaign, with their run of two wins in ten Premier League games since the start of November seeing them freefall into the bottom half of the table.
A contributing factor to Tottenham’s sudden decline has been their toothless attack as they sorely lack a clinical edge in forward positions, but they have also not been helped by Frank’s mindset.
Supporters have rightly criticised Frank for taking Spurs too far away from their deep-rooted footballing philosophy, which is arguably something between the approach adopted by their current head coach and Postecoglou.
This came to a head in November’s north London derby at the Emirates, with Frank rolling out the red carpet for Arsenal to have their way with Spurs, who were made to show far too much respect to their rivals as their mission for a smash-and-grab point failed miserably.
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In that game, Frank opted for a solid but unthreatening midfield pairing of Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur, with these two players’ starts against Brentford marking the first time they have been selected in the first XI together since Arsenal.
Once again, Frank opted for a safety-first approach by drafting in Palhinha to replace the injured Lucas Bergvall, setting the tone for another uninspiring performance from Spurs.
Brentford were not great either, but they certainly had the better of the action against Spurs, who had Guglielmo Vicario booked for time-wasting with 20 minutes remaining.
Given Tottenham’s poor form, you can understand why Frank opted to lean so deeply into his defensive mindset against Brentford, with his side set up to grind out results, as described by Chris Sutton, in a “very stuffy and scrappy” manner to ease pressure on himself and his players.
Still, Frank is also looking to sell himself to Spurs supporters as a viable long-term solution that fits their image of the football club, and in that sense, he is failing miserably.
While shaking off the temptation to have a New Year’s Day snooze from their expensive seats, Spurs supporters were heard singing the names of Dele, Moussa Dembele, Eric Dier and Christian Eriksen, which is a clear rejection of Frank reverting to the failed approach adopted vs Arsenal as they desperately strive for any semblance of entertainment from their boring side.
Frank gave a half-hearted offer of an olive branch to Spurs supporters by replacing Palhinha with Mathys Tel in a positive change with ten minutes to go, but this was too late, and it did not alter the trajectory of a game that was always bound to finish 0-0.
Pundits have labelled it “daft” to already be talking of Frank losing his job at Spurs, but these individuals are simply missing the underlying point of Frank putting himself on a downward spiral to his eventual sacking as a manager who is just as unsuited to the club as Postecoglou.
