Spurs Web

The half-time whistle has blown between Tottenham Hotspur and Brentford in the Premier League, and the player ratings are in.

Tottenham lead 2-0 at the break courtesy of goals from Richarlison and Xavi Simons.

Tottenham half-time player ratings vs Brentford

Guglielmo Vicario – The Italian was not tested much in the first forty-five minutes, with Igor Thiago the only player to threaten the Tottenham goalkeeper, who was equal to the task. 6.

Pedro Porro – The full-back looked very attacking in the first half, as he was not scared to make overlapping runs, offering Frank’s side much-needed width. 6.

Cristian Romero – The centre-back has put in the sort of performance one would expect from him. He has been aggressive in his play, already picking up a booking, and he could have had an assist to his name after his header across goal from a Spurs corner found Randal Kolo Muani, but the forward failed to convert. 6.

Micky van de Ven – The Dutchman returned to the starting eleven today and has looked solid, often helping to sweep up any balls over the top from Brentford, while also getting tight to Thiago. 7.

Djed Spence – Brentford have barely threatened Tottenham, and Spence has had little to do defensively, except for the few occasions when Kayode looked to attack. The full-backs for Spurs have been more advanced, with Spence also making forward runs. 6.

MORE SPURS STORIES

Rodrigo Bentancur – Solid in the middle of the pitch, but his passing and care in possession have not always been tidy, with the midfielder sometimes losing the ball. 6.5.

Archie Gray – The teenager is the player with the licence to go forward despite operating in one of the pivot roles. He has often looked to join the attack down the left, offering underlapping runs. 6.

Xavi Simons – The Dutchman has been neat and tidy with his passing and touches, often eyeing a forward and positive ball to bring his teammates into the game. He was rewarded for his forward thinking as he provided the assist for Tottenham’s opener, and he capped off a top first-half display with a lovely solo effort, driving into a gaping hole in Brentford’s midfield and defence before picking out the bottom left corner. 9.

Mohammed Kudus – The wide man appears to be operating more centrally in Spurs setup, closer to Simons and Muani. He remains a threat on the counter-attack for Tottenham, creating one of the best chances of the game when his cross found Richarlison, whose effort was blocked. 7.

Randal Kolo Muani – A very industrious outing for the Frenchman, who was willing to do the dirty work, often tracking back to help defensively. At the top end of the pitch, he has tried to influence play by holding the ball up and bringing others into the game. He also had a good chance to double Spurs lead but headed straight at Kelleher. He would have been better served directing the effort across goal. 6.5.

Thomas Frank has revealed why Destiny Udogie is not part of the matchday squad against Brentford.

While the term ‘must-win game’ is overused in football, rarely has there been a time when that term is more appropriate than Tottenham’s clash against Brentford this afternoon.

The Lilywhites are winless at home since the opening day of the season, and some have even called on Frank to resign if Spurs fail to beat the Bees.

The Tottenham boss has named an attacking line-up this afternoon, but there is one very curious absentee.

Xavi Simons, Richarlison, Archie Gray, and Micky van de Ven come into the starting line-up from the 2-2 draw against Newcastle, and so does Djed Spence in place of Udogie.

The Italian finds no place on the bench either, and Frank has now revealed that he picked up an injury in training.

Speaking ahead of kick-off, the Dane said (via Alasdair Gold): “Destiny unfortunately picked up an injury. Xavi looked good in training, looked sharp. Richy and Kolo have been good as well and looking better and better, sharper and sharper.”

MORE SPURS STORIES

Xavi Simons needs to step up for Spurs

This is Xavi’s first start for Tottenham in five matches, and the Dutchman certainly has a point to prove to the Spurs boss.

Frank has continued to back Xavi to come good once he settles into the Premier League, but the £52m summer signing desperately needs a good performance for his own confidence.

Spurs fans will be hoping that he can step up and be the creative spark that the Lilywhites have been lacking at home all season.

The Tottenham Hotspur team for the Premier League match against Brentford has been announced ahead of kick-off.

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank comes into the match against his former side under intense pressure with a run of just one win in his last eight matches in all competitions.

Since Frank took charge, Spurs have managed just one Premier League victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which came against newcomers Burnley on the opening day of the 25/26 season.

Brentford are making their second visit to North London in the space of a week, having lost 2-0 at Arsenal on Wednesday night.

Tottenham team line-up announced

Micky van de Ven was an unused substitute against Newcastle, but comes back into the side to partner Cristian Romero, who was Tottenham’s two-goal hero in the 2-2 draw at St James’ Park.

Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski remain out with Frank saying there was no new update on the pair earlier this week.

MORE SPURS STORIES

The big news is that Xavi Simons comes back into the starting eleven, meanwhile Archie Gray partners Rodrigo Bentancur in the base of midfield.

This is the Spurs team selected by Thomas Frank which takes to the field in N17 this afternoon:

Tottenham: Vicario; Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Spence; Bentancur, Gray; Kudus, Simons; Richarlison, Kolo Muani.

Subs: Kinsky, Danso, Davies, Palhinha, Bergvall, Sarr, Tel, Johnson, Odobert

Brentford: Kelleher, Kayode, van den Berg, Collins, Ajer, Yarmoliuk, Henderson, Ouattara, Damsgaard, Schade, Thiago

Subs: Valdimarsson, Hickey, Henry, Pinnock, Jensen, Onyeka, Janelt, Donovan, Lewis-Potter

Frank is under pressure to beat Brentford

Frank build a solid reputation for himself at Brentford, but his start to life at Tottenham has seen the Dane’s job security come under question.

Tottenham headed into this weekend in eleventh place in the Premier League table and are at risk of falling behind the clubs above them who are in contention for European football.

Thomas Frank has now made a telling admission about Tottenham’s strongest eleven after chopping and changing his side over the last few weeks.

There have been plenty of changes for Spurs over the last few games, not just in terms of personnel, but also in terms of formation.

Some of the team selections have left Tottenham fans bemused, and given the team’s poor results, Frank has borne the brunt of the criticism.

In fact, it has even been reported that some Spurs players are frustrated with Frank’s constant tinkering and are sometimes confused about their roles.

Thomas Frank admits he does not know his best Tottenham eleven

The Tottenham boss has had to deal with an extremely bloated injury list for large parts of the season, and only now is he getting some key players back.

He has confessed that he is still working to find his best combination, but suggested that he is getting closer to it as he better understands the strengths and weaknesses of his players.

When asked if he still does not know his best Tottenham eleven owing to the injuries the club have had, Frank responded to Football.London: “I think that’s fair [to suggest]. I’ve got an idea of quite a few positions. I also think there’s competition.

MORE SPURS STORIES

So, not that easy all the time to say, ‘OK, it’s jut those 11’ because you need more than 11 players. Normally you see most teams when they are finding their strongest team, it will be those nine players all the time, and maybe change two. Or maybe sometimes it’s 10.

“It’s a combination also with the amount of games and that rotation, so definitely for the rest of the season if we do well in the Champions League there will be rotations but it will be closer and closer until you see the main nine or 10 players that we go with.”

Frank makes an admission about Spurs’ January targets

It has been widely reported that Tottenham will be prioritising signing a left-winger in January, with Antoine Semenyo thought to be one of the names at the top of their wishlist.

However, Frank has now suggested that the club are looking at the possibility of strengthening in several areas across the pitch.

When asked if Spurs are looking for a left-winger in January, the 52-year-old responded: “I think we look at not every position, but we’re prepared in every position to see if there is something we can do to improve the squad. I think we always look into that.

“Right now, we just focus on doing everything we can to find the one that can take the next step. Plus, we always need more than one that do it to help the team, because there are starters and there are finishers.”

Tottenham are now preparing to push forward with a long-awaited naming rights agreement for their stadium, with a valuation now set as a new commercial leader steps into the building.

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has stood since 2019 following its completion, yet Tottenham Hotspur have still not been able to secure a naming rights deal for the billion-pound structure.

However, yesterday it was revealed that the Lewis family are now taking steps to land a naming rights deal for the club’s stadium, following the appointment of Alex Scotcher, who is set to join Spurs as their new commercial director in January.

Scotcher arrives with experience in closing such deals, having successfully done so with Everton and Valencia.

Tottenham push for £20m stadium naming rights deal

Six years of revenue have been left untouched by Tottenham following their failure to secure a stadium naming rights agreement.

According to Football Insider, Spurs are now looking to agree a £20m per year naming rights deal following the appointment of their new commercial chief.

It is claimed that £20m is the valuation Tottenham believe reflects the market for such a deal, having failed to land any agreement since the stadium opened.

MORE SPURS STORIES

Scotcher played a major role in helping Everton secure a deal with Hill Dickinson, who became the Toffees’ stadium sponsor in May.

It is understood the Liverpool-based law firm is paying around £10m per year for naming rights across the next decade, but Scotcher will aim to secure a higher figure for Spurs.

Spurs belief in valuation follows previous failed negotiations

Tottenham have previously held talks with Google and Amazon regarding the naming rights of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium during Daniel Levy’s tenure.

However, no agreement was reached, as the former chairman was reported to be holding out for a world record naming rights package.

It is understood that Daniel Levy rejected proposals worth between £10m and £15m per year as he waited for an offer he deemed suitable.

Ramon Vega continues to pile into Thomas Frank, and the former Tottenham defender has now made a big claim ahead of the Lilywhites’ clash against the Dane’s former side.

Over the last few weeks, the Tottenham head coach has had to deal with a level of criticism that he has not previously experienced in his career.

Vega has been leading the charge, with the former Spurs man previously declaring that Frank is not the right fit for Tottenham.

Vega also accused Frank of lacking bravery last week, and the Swiss defender has now launched another spectacular attack on the 52-year-old.

Ramon Vega says Thomas Frank needs to resign if Tottenham lose at home again

Vega has now labelled the Tottenham boss a ‘yes man’, insisting that he does not have the ‘b***s’ to manage the Lilywhites.

He suggested that the former Brentford boss is losing the dressing room and called for him to resign if the North Londoners lose against the Bees at home.

Vega told The Daily Mail: “You need big b***s to manage Tottenham. Thomas Frank is a politician, a diplomat, a yes man but he is not the person to say, ‘this is me, this is my way’.

MORE SPURS STORIES

“That shows in the dressing room. When you are changing the players and the system every five minutes, players feel insecure, especially when the crowd is negative. This is not a stable base. And I’m not sure he has the respect of the players.

“Tottenham is complex, the recruitment has been a disaster for years, and now we are paying for it. And then comes a guy from Brentford, and it looks like the stage is too big. If they lose at home to Brentford, he should resign. That would show me he has b***s.”

Another home loss could make Frank’s position untenable

There is already a growing disconnect between the Spurs players and fans, and the primary reason for that is Tottenham’s struggles at home this season.

If Spurs fall to their fifth home loss of the season in the Premier League against Bees, the atmosphere at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium would become even more toxic than it is.

Conor Gallagher has now made a very interesting statement about his current situation at Atletico Madrid, amidst reports linking him with a switch to Tottenham Hotspur in January.

The former Chelsea man is thought to be one of the midfielders at the top of Spurs’ wishlist.

Just a few days ago, one report from Spain claimed that Tottenham are willing to spend £52m to land Gallagher in January.

Spurs are expected to face competition from Man United for Gallagher, who has found game time hard to come by of late at the Spanish capital.

Conor Gallagher’s latest statement comes as a blow to Tottenham

A couple of weeks ago, the Spurs target admitted that he is not satisfied with the minutes he is getting at Atletico.

However, despite falling down Diego Simeone’s pecking order since the arrival of Johnny Cardoso in the summer, the England international has now insisted that he remains ‘happy’ at Metropolitano Stadium.

When asked about his situation at the La Liga club, Gallagher has now told Sky Sports: “I’m happy, but obviously I want to play as much as possible.

MORE SPURS STORIES

“Every footballer would like to be on the pitch for 90 minutes every single game. Obviously, I’m at a world-class club and there are a lot of amazing players.

“The most important thing is how the team plays and the results we get. At the moment, it’s going really well for us.”

Atletico may be willing to cash in on Gallagher

Based on the midfielder’s statement, it does not appear as if he is going to push for a January exit despite his limited game time.

However, it has been suggested by some outlets that the Colchoneros could cash in on him in order to raise funds for their January targets.

One Tottenham Hotspur player who has featured in every single Premier League game this season is among the worst in the division in a key defensive metric.

While Thomas Frank has been happy to rotate his options in midfield and in attack, he has largely stuck with a similar back four for most matches, barring injury or suspensions.

One man who has featured in every single game for the Lilywhites and has started all but two of their 14 league games is Pedro Porro.

Porro has been in the eye of a storm over the last week due to a disagreement with some Spurs fans over their booing of his teammate, Guglielmo Vicario.

Numbers suggest Pedro Porro struggles defensively for Tottenham

The Spaniard’s numbers suggest that his performances have not been up to scratch either, especially defensively.

WhoScored have now revealed that Porro has been dribbled past 17 times this season, which is the third-highest number of any player in the Premier League.

Only Brighton’s Mats Wieffer and Nottingham Forest’s Neco Williams have been dribbled past more times than the Tottenham man this season.

MORE SPURS STORIES

Porro’s attacking output is down for Spurs this season

Porro had similar numbers under Ange Postecoglou, and most Spurs fans would admit that one-v-one defending is not the right-back’s biggest strength.

However, the 26-year-old was making up for it with his regular contributions in the final third. Unfortunately, he has not been doing that this season either.

Porro is yet to find the back of the net in the Premier League and has just one assist so far, with his crossing being uncharacteristically inconsistent.

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank is finding out quickly how difficult it is to manage a Premier League club in the traditional Big Six.

At a club like Tottenham Hotspur, results matter as much as performances every week, and fans have been quick to make that clear to the Dane in his short spell in north London.

Defeats to Chelsea, Fulham and Arsenal have not helped his case so far, but the fighting spirit shown at St James Park against Newcastle offers hope that he can still turn things around.

While Thomas Frank’s job remains safe, we have now compared Tottenham’s last three managers with Frank’s time at Tottenham so far.

Ange Postecoglou start vs Tottenham under Thomas Frank

The Dane’s predecessor was Ange Postecoglou, who is a cult hero in north London following his Europa League triumph last season in Bilbao, Spain.

However, that success was not enough to keep the Australian in the Spurs dugout as a dismal showing of 22 losses and a 17th-place finish last campaign saw him sacked in June.

But the first 22 games when he was appointed in the 23-24 season were strong, with Postecoglou leading Tottenham to eight wins in their first ten league games.

MORE SPURS STORIES

Injuries derailed early momentum, but Spurs still managed a fifth-place finish under the Australian. Of course, a lack of European commitments meant it was a less hectic first season for Postecoglou and his side.

Antonio Conte’s record compared to Thomas Frank at Spurs

Before Postecoglou was Antonio Conte, who took charge in the middle of the season following Nuno Espirito Santo’s dismissal in 2021.

The Italian arrived with a winning reputation based on his success elsewhere before arriving at Tottenham.

He delivered what was expected, leading Tottenham to a fourth-place finish and pipping Arsenal to it at the time, while a 3-0 victory over the Gunners at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium remains the last time Spurs secured a win in the derby.

Conte also won 12 of his first 22 games during the middle of that campaign, with some of those victories coming in the Carabao Cup and the Europa Conference League.

However, problems emerged in his second season, leading to his departure by mutual consent in March 2023 after a fiery press conference following a lacklustre draw against Southampton.

Nuno Espirito Santo vs Thomas Frank opening spell

Espirito Santo is the third manager before Frank, and the Dane has already surpassed the current West Ham boss in terms of matches in charge of Tottenham.

Nuno did not manage up to 22 games before his dismissal, and interestingly, the Portuguese secured more wins in a shorter spell than Frank.

The current Spurs boss has managed eight wins from his first 22 games, while Nuno managed nine in fewer fixtures.

Sadly, the current West Ham manager was not afforded more time as his strong start, including a win over Manchester City, was not enough to keep him in the Tottenham dugout.

Big defeats against Crystal Palace, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United eventually led to his departure.

Fabrizio Romano has reacted to reports suggesting that Tottenham Hotspur are considering replacing Thomas Frank at the helm.

Just six months into his job at Spurs, some serious question marks are now being raised about whether the Dane is the right fit for the Lilywhites.

Many Tottenham fans have already written off Frank and are becoming increasingly disillusioned with his negative approach.

Frank has said he is confident Spurs will give him time to turn things around, and Romano has now weighed in on whether his job is now under serious threat.

Tottenham are monitoring Thomas Frank’s situation closely

Over recent days, some outlets have even said that Spurs have begun identifying managers to potentially replace Frank, with Oliver Glasner said to be one of their names on the club’s wishlist.

However, Romano has now revealed that while Tottenham Hotspur are monitoring the Dane’s role closely, the club have not made any concrete overtures to any candidate.

When asked whether Frank is in danger of losing his job, Romano said (via GiveMeSport): “Of course, they [the board] can’t be happy with recent results, with higher expectations in the next games to change the situation. His job is being monitored closely, but nothing else at the moment.”

MORE SPURS STORIES

Spurs expected to show patience with Frank for now

According to some reports, Tottenham have no intentions of sacking Frank and are ready to give the Dane time to turn things around.

In fact, it has even been claimed by journalist Dean Jones that Spurs want to follow what Arsenal did with Mikel Arteta, who was backed through some extremely challenging times by the Gunners in the first couple of seasons.

However, the 52-year-old will be aware that the Tottenham hierarchy may have no choice but to replace him if the fan anger against him continues to grow.