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Tim Sherwood has provided a reason for Tottenham’s widely contrasting results at home and away from their stadium this season.

Spurs boast of the best away record in the Premier League, having won four and drawn one of their five away matches in the competition this season.

However, Tottenham’s results at home read like those of a team battling relegation, with the Lilywhites having won one and lost three of their five games at N17.

The boos were deafening at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after their latest defeat against Chelsea, and one can certainly understand the supporters’ discontent as they have not seen the team win at the venue since the opening day of the season.

Tim Sherwood says Tottenham are not able to cope with the demanding home fans

Tim Sherwood believes that the reason Thomas Frank’s men are so good away from home is that they can defend deep and hit teams on the counter-attack.

He suggested that they struggle in front of their fans, who expect them to boss the game and play on the front foot.

The former Spurs midfielder and interim manager told Premier League Productions: “They’re far better away from home. They’re allowed to play however they want away from home as long as they win the football match. They score from two set pieces. Micky van de Ven there (against Everton).

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“But unfortunately, when you play at home, the fans demand a lot more than that. I think that’s why they’ve struggled at home. I really do. I just think that there are demands from the fans to entertain. You feel obliged as a player to entertain as well.”

One Spurs star spared Thomas Frank’s blushes against Chelsea

If Tottenham had been thumped by Chelsea on Saturday, they could have had absolutely no complaints, given how one-sided the game was.

It was only Guglielmo Vicario’s outstanding performance on Saturday that prevented the Lilywhites from being on the receiving end of a massive drubbing.

Thomas Frank thus has a lot to worry about as it is not only that his side are not creating chances at home, but they are also conceding way too many opportunities to the opposition.

Frank Leboeuf has blasted Tottenham Hotspur for a big decision they made in the summer and has written off one Spurs man completely.

Barring Mohammed Kudus, who has arguably been Tottenham’s best player this season, none of the club’s attackers have made a good start to the season.

The spotlight is now understandably falling on a player who was signed in the summer to solve the club’s creative woes but has failed to do so.

Many pundits have pointed out that Xavi Simons is struggling to cope with the pace and physicality of the Premier League, and one former Chelsea man has now written the Dutchman off after his latest performance.

Frank Leboeuf says Tottenham have signed a one-season wonder in Xavi Simons

Following Tottenham’s defeat to Chelsea, Jamie O’Hara said that Spurs have wasted the money they spent on Xavi, remarking that he looks like a youth player.

Leboeuf agrees with the assessment, insisting that the North London club hierarchy were living in dreamland if they expected the Dutchman to be one of the linchpins of their side, given his career so far.

Leboeuf said on ESPN FC: “I just want to have a point on Xavi Simons, and some of the players who played one good year, for him for Leipzig, because that wasn’t the case for Paris Saint-Germain before, and had an average season last season.

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“So, for £53 million for Tottenham, you expect what? What do you expect from those players who have one good year of football? To be a game-changer? People are dreaming, dreamers. I don’t get that.”

A former Spurs midfielder has a similar concern about Xavi

It is not just Leboeuf who has questioned the 22-year-old’s career trajectory, with a former Spurs midfielder making a similar point last week.

Jermaine Jenas questioned why PSG let Xavi go if they thought he was a top talent, but the 42-year-old still backed the attacking midfielder to come good eventually.

One pundit thinks Thomas Frank has no choice but to do something drastic after being disrespected by Tottenham duo Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence.

While Tottenham’s performance against Chelsea was abject, that display has been overshadowed to an extent by the scenes that followed the final whistle.

A video showed Van de Ven and Spence ignoring Frank and walking straight into the dressing room, with the Dane turning around and giving the duo a stare.

In his post-match press conference, Thomas Frank played down the Van de Ven and Spence incident, putting it down to frustration at the result, but the Spurs boss has now been told that he cannot let that kind of behaviour fly.

Thomas Frank told to give a final warning to the Tottenham duo

Perry Groves believes that the Spurs head coach was disrespected by Van de Ven and Spence, and suggested that the Dane’s reaction told us all we need to know about how he felt.

The former Arsenal winger believes that Frank should assert his authority by warning both players that they will be dropped if they do something similar again.

Groves told talkSPORT: “I think that is a problem because if you’re Thomas Frank, the way that he looked round, it was a lack of respect. That’s what it was. It wasn’t just a little look. It was a men that stare at goats stare.

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“He was looking at his two players and said, ‘I can’t believe you’ve done that to me. So Thomas Frank, and I think he’s a very good manager, but he’s found himself in positions that he’s never been in before.

“With the expectation of his 60,000 at home crowd, his team being booed off, which he would never have had at Brentford, and he would have been in complete control of the players at Brentford.

“So now he’s dealing with bigger egos and for him to get control, he’s got to bring in Djed Spence and Micky van de Ven individually. Not in front of the rest of the players, individually, and say to them, ‘if I ask you to do something, you don’t question me. You just do it. If you want to question me, you question me afterwards.’

“Because, Micky [Gray], you played obviously under Peter Reid at Sunderland, nobody questioned him. I know it’s a different era, but you could have a row with him and you do it within the confined dressing room, but no one would question him publicly. That was Van de Ven and Djed Spence just disrespecting Thomas Frank.”

Thomas Frank revealed in his Monday press conference that Van de Ven and Spence both apologised privately for their post-match actions.

He said: “Micky and Djed came into my office yesterday, unprompted. And just said: ‘Want to say sorry for the situation.’

“They didn’t want it to look bad or disrespectful or all of the kind of perceptions you can get in this beautiful media world. That was not the intention at all towards me or the team or the club. They were just frustrated with the performance, the loss and the booing during the game.”

Frank finds himself between a rock and a hard place

According to reports, Tottenham accept that Van de Ven and Spence were acting out of frustration, and do not see it as a slight on Frank.

Frank finds himself in a difficult position as he would also not want to alienate two players who are very important for his side at a time when some fans are already starting to turn on him.

Despite that, TalkSPORT’s Hugh Woozencroft believes Frank should drop the pair for not just one but two matches. He said: “Honestly, for me, if I was the manager, they wouldn’t be starting, they wouldn’t be playing midweek or at the weekend against Manchester United.

“Spurs fans will say they need them. You say they need them and maybe they do, but for me, you’ve got to set the tone as a manager at a football club.

“Those two players showed a level of ego that doesn’t match their talent when they did that to Thomas Frank.”

Thomas Frank has opened up about life under the microscope at Tottenham, comparing the intense scrutiny he faces in North London to what he experienced during his time at Brentford.

Thomas Frank’s move from Brentford to Tottenham Hotspur marked the biggest step of his managerial career, and naturally, it has brought with it significant changes and challenges.

Spurs currently sit fifth in the Premier League table after finishing a disappointing 17th last season, but despite the clear progress, the Dane still finds himself under pressure from sections of the Tottenham faithful.

At a club like Tottenham, results alone are rarely enough to keep the mood steady. Every detail matters to supporters, and the boos that echoed around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after the defeat to Chelsea on Saturday were a clear reminder of that.

Thomas Frank reflects on pressure and attention at Tottenham

Speaking to the media about his early months in charge, Thomas Frank admitted that the attention at Tottenham has been noticeably different from what he was used to at Brentford.

He acknowledged that while much of his day-to-day work has remained unchanged, the intensity surrounding every decision has risen sharply.

“Of course I sense there is a tiny bit more attention to everything. But that was the one thing I was 1000% sure of that would happen that would be different,” Frank told Football.London.

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“Everything else has been the same, 20 fantastic players and people that want to work in the same direction. Little bit tactical, technical coaching, all that. This is the biggest difference.

“Very, very happy I am not on social media. The only reason I can sense something, fans, creativity or whatever, is a lot of questions from the press conferences. And my good friend over here [press officer] gives me a little bit of input sometimes. So it is what it is. It is part of it, no problem.”

Frank on social media influence among Tottenham players

When asked whether he feels the need to protect his players from the pressures of social media, Thomas Frank shared his thoughts on how modern players engage with it differently.

The 51-year-old admitted that while some players handle the digital spotlight well, others could still improve in managing their online presence.

“Sometimes I like to speak more about how much they do it. I think some of the players are very good at it, some of them could probably be a little bit better,” Frank explained.

“Little bit down to the individual. I think also I would like to say I am young but it is another generation. They deal with it in another way than us. If I should start dealing with it, I would deal with it less good than them.”

Thomas Frank has once again addressed Spurs’ home form and the struggles that come from playing at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Thomas Frank had stated earlier in the season that he had clear plans in place to improve Tottenham Hotspur’s home record.

However, none of those plans seem to have worked out so far, as Tottenham’s record at home continues to slide from bad to worse each time they play in front of their supporters.

Saturday’s clash against Chelsea only deepened those concerns, as Tottenham once again looked out of their depth at home, struggling to impose themselves and being comfortably outplayed by their London rivals.

Thomas Frank explains Tottenham’s home form struggles

When asked about Tottenham’s ongoing issues at home, Thomas Frank admitted that the problem is complex and cannot be fixed overnight.

He noted that his time at the club has been short but insisted that improving home performances remains a top priority.

He told football.London: “Of course, it’s a relatively small sample for me to look into. First and foremost, we need to work very hard on keep adding to performances, keep adding layers, keep improving.

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“Work very hard on the training pitch, in meeting rooms, in one-to-one actions and I see a good improvement in the team in general. Of course, we’re coming on the back of a bad performance.

“That’s the big flashing light right now, so everyone has a little bit a struggle to look past that and look to the very good performances we’ve had this year as well.

“I also think it’s fair to say we are coming off the back of in many ways a fantastic season, but also a tough season and if anyone would have said that we would have now 17 points after 10 games, unbeaten in the Champions League and fifth, it doesn’t matter where we are now, it’s where we are at the end of the season…

“Everything’s definitely not perfect, but there’s decent foundation and it’s up to us to add layers. I think everyone would have taken where we are now, in terms of 22 defeats last season and finishing 17th. The Europa League is fantastic, wow, but the Champions League is different.

“Fantastic the first 30 minutes of the game Saturday night. I think the noise was incredible and that carried us forwards. It seems there was a little bit of a turning point when we conceded the goal.

“Where we all get a little bit frustrated, which is natural. I think it’s more than fair, because we are in the performance business, and if we can’t deal with the pressure or deal with the negativity or the criticism, we shouldn’t sit here.

“Probably Vic and I, we are in the football world because we love the game and we love to be part of something.

“It’s nice, the big occasions and the big crowds. I think the fans were fantastic the first 30 and after the game if we perform badly and on top of that we lost the game, more than fair enough they boo us. But during the game, we need a little bit of help.

“And especially when it’s not going the right way. They can be the turning point. We are down 1-0 last 15, imagine they carry us over the line. We got a little of an unfair 1-1, what a feeling. That point can be the difference in a long season.”

Frank urges patience and balance in expectations

When asked whether there is a growing expectation to play in a certain way at home, Frank was quick to acknowledge the difficulty of maintaining consistency, given the range of challenges each opponent brings.

He added: “That’s different types of games, sometimes also everything accumulating, the number you gave is not a fantastic number.

“We haven’t won at home in the last whatever games in the Premier League, not too many, but completely different games. Some teams are very different teams to play against, others a little bit easier.

“For example, Villa, I think very good comparative performance. Unfortunately, we lost, we just got it wrong, but we easily could have won that 1-0.

“Saturday night is an accumulation of a lot of things. A big London derby. We always hope we can beat them. We haven’t beaten them for a long time and we didn’t, so that’s just added a bit.”

Tottenham Hotspur are without a full team of players for their upcoming Champions League clash against Copenhagen.

Spurs have been dealing with double-digit absentees over the last few weeks, and the situation is not much better heading into tomorrow’s clash.

Cristian Romero, Destiny Udogie and Wilson Odobert returned to action against Chelsea, with all three players coming on as substitutes in the 1-0 loss on Saturday.

However, three more players have been added to the treatment table ahead of Spurs’ return to Champions League action.

The 12 players who will miss Tottenham’s clash against Copenhagen

James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Ben Davies, Kota Takai, Yves Bissouma and Dominic Solanke are the long-term absentees and remain out of action.

Archie Gray is expected to miss around a month of football due to a calf problem, which he suffered last week.

Lucas Bergvall suffered a concussion against Chelsea and is thus set to miss the next few games, while Mohammed Kudus and Djed Spence are doubts for the Copenhagen clash due to knocks.

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Radu Dragusin is back in full training but the Romanian and Mathys Tel are not part of Tottenham’s Champions League squad for the league phase, bringing the total absentees to 12 ahead of Tuesday’s clash.

Spurs’ injury situation has not received enough media limelight

Tottenham’s injury situation has not received as much attention as it deserves from the media

Most clubs will struggle when they have more than a full team of players injured, especially a new head coach who is still trying to learn about his squad and get his ideas across to the players.

Part of the reason it has gone under the radar is that Tottenham’s squad is deeper than it was last season, which means that Frank has been able to still put out relatively decent teams.

Additionally, much to the former Brentford boss’ credit, he has not used the injury situation as an excuse.

Tottenham Hotspur are pushing to rediscover their attacking rhythm under Thomas Frank, but questions are starting to swirl around about the Dane being too defensive.

Tottenham Hotspur have been far from consistent under new boss Thomas Frank this season, with results and performances often alternating between highs and lows.

The first three games of the Premier League season saw Tottenham bag goals and keep clean sheets, but in recent weeks, that has not been the case.

Tottenham have looked far from convincing in attack, with the Lilywhites scoring just four goals in their last five outings, while in their game against Chelsea, Tottenham managed just one shot, leaving with an xG of 0.10.

Thomas Frank responds to criticism of being defensive at Tottenham

Tottenham fans have not been best pleased with the latest displays from their side, and the boos coming from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at full-time against Chelsea show just how discontent they are.

Some fans have accused Frank of being too defensive, especially when his team selections include a pivot of both Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha.

Speaking to Football.London, the Dane addressed the claims about his approach, making it clear that he does not agree with the narrative surrounding his tactics.

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He said: “I think it depends on whose narrative that is. The journalists? A few fans? I guess we have quite a few fans out there, so I guess the ones who write on social media. I am not on social media.

“I am very aware we have not been free-flowing in some games. I think there have definitely been some moments where we have been quite good. It is something we work very hard on every single day.

“It is fair to say every team I have managed has been able to score a lot of goals. Also a Brentford team with, let us say, on paper lesser players, creating a lot of top goal scorers.

“I am convinced we will do the same here. I think it is fair to say we are also working very hard on it. The players are doing everything they can and it is my job, with the coaches, to make sure they hit good relations, good structure and can be confident.”

Spurs have a chance to respond against Copenhagen

With a Champions League tie against Copenhagen next, Tottenham have a good opportunity to flex their attacking muscle.

The Lilywhites are at home and are a single point away from the automatic qualification spot in the Champions League table, and fans will be hoping Frank’s side can secure a statement win here.

Copenhagen are without a win in the Champions League and have conceded eight goals from three games, and if they were to get a result against Tottenham, it would only increase the pressure on the Tottenham boss.

Tottenham Hotspur are eyeing a move for an experienced Serie A striker, but a new development may put their pursuit at risk.

There continues to be plenty of speculation over Tottenham’s search for a new number nine, and a 25-year-old striker has been particularly heavily linked with a move to N17.

Spurs are thought to be considering a move for Juventus star Dusan Vlahovic, who is now in the final year of his contract at the Allianz Stadium.

It has been suggested that Juventus want to cash in on the Spurs target in January as they do not want to risk letting him leave on a free next summer.

Juventus development may scupper Tottenham’s pursuit of Dusan Vlahovic

Several sources have even installed Tottenham as the favourites to land Vlahovic in January, given Fabio Paratici’s connections with the Serie A club.

However, the Bianconeri have recently sacked Igor Tudor and replaced him with Luciano Spalletti, and journalist Dean Jones believes that the change in management might change the striker’s stance on his future.

Joens told TEAMtalk: “The fact that Vlahovic suddenly has a new coach is interesting because it is a moment that could potentially lead to a change in his situation at Juve.

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“However, the major issue still surrounds the terms of his deal rather than whether the coach likes him, so I do think the same problem will exist. A few clubs in England will be keeping an eye on this, but no one has been particularly close to making an offer soon.”

Jones says cut-price sale of Vlahovic is still on the cards

However, the journalist pointed out that the Old Lady cannot risk keeping the striker if he does not put pen to paper on a deal within the next two months

He suggested that a cut-price sale of the Tottenham Hotspur target is still very much on the cards in the upcoming transfer window.

Jones added about Vlahovic: “There is a chance he is still available in January because Juventus can’t handle the prospect of him leaving for free in the summer. So, either way, something significant has to happen.

“If he leaves in January, I think someone will be picking up a bargain. The current expectation is that Juve would be looking for €20million [£17.6m], I’m told.”

The Athletic’s David Ornstein has named a Premier League defender as Tottenham’s dream signing for the January transfer window.

It is no secret that Tottenham are scouring the market for a centre-back ahead of the January window.

Thomas Frank is thought to be keen on reinforcing his options at the back, given the poor fitness records of his two main starters: Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven.

Over the last few days, Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa has been mooted as a target for Spurs, but there is another England international defender that the Lilywhites have had their eye on for a while.

Everton star Jarrad Branthwaite named as Tottenham’s dream signing

In the summer window, it was reported that Tottenham were considering an approach for Jarrad Branthwaite, but the defender ended up staying put at Everton.

It has been suggested over recent weeks that Spurs are still keeping an eye on Branthwaite’s situation, and that information has now been backed up by Ornstein.

When asked who Tottenham’s dream signing is, The Athletic journalist told Planet Football: “Jarrad Branthwaite, because I think they’ve been looking for a while to upgrade in that defensive department.

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“They’ve looked at him. He’s someone who has been linked with a move away from Everton, even though he’s signed a new contract, and I guess he’s one to watch in the future for many of the top clubs.”

Spurs face massive roadblocks in landing Branthwaite

Branthwaite only signed a new five-year deal with Everton in the summer, which means that the Merseyside club would demand top dollar for the centre-back.

Additionally, it has been alleged that Spurs face competition from Man United for the Everton man’s signature, with the Red Devils also thought to be big fans of the 23-year-old.

Tottenham Hotspur have their eye on a versatile Premier League attacker, but they have been told that it will take a mammoth offer to prise him away from his current club in January.

Based on reports over the last week, it appears that Spurs are eyeing wide-forwards with Premier League experience ahead of the January window.

That does not come as a surprise, as the Lilywhites have lacked firepower upfront so far this season, which is partly down to the fact that the likes of Dominic Solanke, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski have been out injured

It has been alleged that one of the players on Tottenham’s radar is an Everton forward, who has come on leaps and bounds since his switch to the Merseyside club in the summer of 2024.

Tottenham told they have to pay a premium to sign Iliman Ndiaye

The player in question is Iliman Ndiaye, who has four goal contributions in nine league games so far this campaign for David Moyes’ men.

Former Everton chief Keith Wyness, who served as CEO at the club between 2004 and 2009, has now claimed that Tottenham may have to pay close to £100m to prise the Senegal international away from the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

When asked about Spurs’ pursuit of Ndiaye, Wyness told Football Insider: “It’s going to take a huge offer. Ndiaye is very happy at the club right now. I think there will be a new contract situation cropping up pretty quickly. So let’s just see how that goes. I don’t really see him going unless it’s an exceptional offer, £100m or something like that sort of level.

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“Look, he’s impressed everybody. He’s got swift feet. He’s great to watch. He’s exciting to watch. And if you’ve got him and Grealish and Dewsbury-Hall on the same team, you’re starting to see some entertaining situations, and it’s difficult for other teams to defend.

“So it’s working well as a balance, and Moyes was quite astute in terms of getting that sort of balance. So we can see what they’re aiming at, but they’re not getting the finished product in front of the goal, and that’s the biggest issue.”

Report suggests Spurs can sign Iliman Ndiaye for a cheaper fee

While reporting on Tottenham’s interest in the 25-year-old earlier this week, a report in TEAMtalk suggested that the forward can be signed for a much lower amount than Wyness suggests.

The outlet claimed that Spurs would have to pay around £60m to land Ndiaye from Everton in the January window.

However, the publication also explained that the Toffees are determined not to lose the wide-forward despite the growing interest in his services.