Thomas Frank is now head coach of Tottenham Hotspur, officially joining Spurs on Thursday in what is initially a three year deal. Frank joins Spurs after several seasons at Brentford, where he took what a decade ago was a League One afterthought of a club and guiding them not only to promotion to the Premier League, but into one of the more respected small clubs in the top flight.
Spurs fans, mostly disappointed by the sacking of Ange Postecoglou, initially viewed Frank as an uninspiring choice to be Spurs’ next boss. But with time, a lot of them, including myself, have come around. Brentford’s teams were frequently impressive against teams with significantly more and better resources, and Frank has achieved a reputation as a manager who can assemble a team that is significantly better than the sum of its parts.
But after two years of sometimes frenetic, sometimes terrifying Ange-Ball, what will Frank bring to the table? What can we expect to see Thomas Frank’s Tottenham Hotspur do on the pitch?
Adaptability
If you were frustrated with Ange Postecoglou seemingly (but not really, I know, I know) sticking to an idealistic style of football no matter what kind of team he’s facing, then Thomas Frank will be a breath of fresh air. Frank’s Brentford teams certainly had some commonalities in the way they played from year to year, but Frank himself doesn’t really have a set methodology in the way he plays, and he’s willing to make adjustments depending on opposition and game state.
When Brentford were in the Championship, Frank set them up to play in a dominant, attacking style. The year they promoted, Brentford were top of the Championship in overall goals scored and assists, and second in xG/90, behind Norwich who won the league. The following season, Brentford’s first in the Premier League, Frank set them up to be a compact defend-and-counter team. They finished that season an impressive 13th with a -8 GD, comfortably out of the relegation zone, and notably well above Norwich, who finished 20th.
Frank will have a game plan worked out for each match, but he will always have a couple of contingencies in place in the event things go south or an unexpected even takes place. He thinks through possible scenarios and is ready to adjust on the fly when needed. He will use most if not all of his substitutes, and will have a plan for each of them when they come in.
Will it always work? Of course not. But I think fans can probably expect that at minimum Spurs will be adaptable. When Spurs need to defend and counter, they’ll do that. When they need to press high, they’ll do that instead. It might not always be pretty football, but it will be often be the right tactical approach for the appropriate time.
Frank talks about his adaptability and how he makes adjustments in this incredible tactics video from about seven months ago.
A “Pragmatic Ange-Ball”
Frank’s tactics at Brentford and Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham have a few things in common. But while in its purest form Ange-Ball was about control, relentless pressure, taking chances, balls in wide positions, and always staying on the front foot, Frank’s tactics are a little more measured. Frank likes his teams to attack space, but frequently utilizes two strikers instead of wide forwards, and often with four midfielders, two defending and two attacking. Under Frank, Brentford liked to play through the middle, using the strikers to pull apart the opposition back line to create space for players to run in behind.
Also, don’t be surprised to see Spurs play with a back three, either from the start or situationally. It’s not at all uncommon to see Brentford in a 3-5-2 or a 4-3-3 depending on the opposition or game state. That may require Spurs to spend some extra time this summer identifying and signing defenders, or utilizing players out of position to fill gaps.
But the principles of play are similar: a high back line in attack, keep the ball, counterpress, create high quality chances, score goals.
Long kicks from the keeper and headed goals
Before Postecoglou adjusted this season, Spurs rarely kicked the ball long from goal kicks. Spurs always, ALWAYS played out from the back and relied on the ability of the center backs to be comfortable with the ball at their feet to break pressure. Usually that worked fine. Occasionally it backfired spectacularly. It will be the opposite under Thomas Frank. Frank usually instructs his keepers to play the ball long from goal kicks, usually towards one of the strikers, with the midfielders staying close for the second ball and the second striker running in behind.
Frank also utilizes a specialty set piece coach to get the most out of those plays — Brentford led the league in headed goals last season with 14, and were always dangerous from corners and free kicks. It might take a while for Spurs to adjust, but expect more thumping headers from players like Cuti Romero, Richarlison, and the other attackers (assuming any of them are still at the club next season).
Compact defensive setup
While Frank’s teams get forward well, they defend stoutly. Under pressure, Brentford would frequently drop extra players into the back line and look to compress the pitch while defending, denying the opposition opportunities to move into space with the ball. Brentford’s teams were frequently difficult to break down. The defense has always been a bit of a mess under Postecoglou, but we saw good examples of Tottenham’s new-found defensive solidity late in the season, especially when Romero and Micky van de Ven were healthy. If both Cuti and Micky stay, Frank will have some excellent players to work with, but I would also expect him to get a tune out of Kevin Danso and even Radu Dragusin.
Conclusion
Thomas Frank is not Tottenham Hotspur, but there are some certain similarities to the way their teams set up and play. For that reason I don’t think it will take too much work for Spurs’ players to adjust to Frank-Ball — the basic principles are still there, even if the intensity is dialed down from 11 and the overall approach will be more fluid and adaptable.
The question with Thomas Frank has always been whether he has been able to get the most out of Brentford’s often-undervalued players because he’s the kind of coach who can maximize his team’s potential, or if his success is the product of Brentford’s excellent club structure and targeting. What comes across while watching him speak is that this is a man that is extremely smart and also emotionally intelligent. Tottenham may not have the ticking clock of Brentford’s backroom staff, but they’re making strides to become more so. Frank has worked with Johan Lange in the past and Spurs are now a data-driven side, much like Brentford. At Spurs, Frank will have more resources at his disposal, but also more expectations — but if things work out, it could be the start of an exciting period at Tottenham Hotspur.
