Football London

Thomas Frank had plenty of questions to answer after Tottenham's 1-1 draw against Wolves on Saturday evening in the Premier League.

The hosts created plenty of opportunities in the first half to take the lead but it was the visitors who opened the scoring in the 54th minute. Guglielmo Vicario saved a Ladislav Krejci header from a corner only for the ball to strike Joao Palhinha and bounce back to Santiago Bueno to poke home.

It looked like Dr Tottenham had ended Wolves' run of defeats only for Palhinha to curl home a last gasp leveller. Good play from substitute Mathys Tel on the left ended with the Frenchman curling the ball into the box where Pape Matar Sarr knocked it back to the Portuguese to fire home a low effort.

Our Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold was among those putting the questions to Frank. Here's the full transcript from the press conference at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Was tonight a reminder it is still early days for you and everyone here?

Yeah, yeah you can say that. Yeah, I think that is probably fair. I think first half was good, I was happy with that in many ways. I felt we were on top, created two or three very good chances and got into a lot of dangerous situations where we didn’t create a chance where we should have created more. You know you are thinking, ‘yes this is very good, produce a lot of crosses and we are on track’. Football is not like Wolves please roll over. It is the Premier League and it is extremely competitive.

So, you’re going into the second half and thinking I know it is not like you score, but I think OK, it could be good. I think the big change second half was probably their goal. It changed the momentum of the game and then at half-time they changed to a 5-3-2. I think that made it more difficult. Not that we didn’t know they could do it, but of course how do we get the message across to the players?

Of course we got a little bit on about the pressure and getting it right, but the goal meant we probably lost a bit of structure and coolness. It took more passes to get up into the right positions, cross it from the right area or produce from the right area instead of a cross with your weaker foot or a difficult position and a shot from 30-yards even though they crowd scream shoot. I like the effort and mentality and I think it is huge actually and I meant that to get a point on a night where it is not perfect, especially not in the second half. Now that is two times in a row we come back. I think that tells a lot about the players. Yes, we want free-floating, yes we want more and we did not hit our highest performance level today, but when you are down at 90 plus and you get a point, I think that’s positive.

What did you think of Xavi Simons tonight, it felt like he struggled to get into his rhythm?

Yeah, I think that's fair to say. I think Xavi, he had some good actions, also carrying the ball forward and you had to foul him three or four times. But there was a lot of situations where he was not as sharp, I think that's fair to say. I think he would say the same himself. But I also think it's natural.

You're coming into a new team, a new league. To find that rhythm quickly is difficult. And I also think that we said the other time, I think we're very happy with the Brighton performance in many ways.

I think the first half was positive [tonight] also, you know, offensive. But that free flow, floating to have it enough, you know, that we need to keep working on. And then there are just some days where we don't hit the highest level.

Did you suffer from not being able to bring on the likes of Dominic Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani to freshen up your attack?

I think there were enough offensive actions, but of course it's to have one natural striker. I think Mathys can play striker, but he's probably a striker and a winger. So a natural striker as Richy and Dom and Kolo would have been nice to have that extra option. But I think we could still have won the game anyway.

It was a very nice finish, but did you have an issue with Palhinha celebrating in the corner and taking his shirt off when there was still two or three minutes left?

I didn't know I celebrated myself. But of course I noticed after I could see he didn't have his shirt on. I know we wanted to go for the next one. But you can see the next three minutes we were a little bit disjointed. Should we go for it? Where were the positions? I think it's fair to say we struggled a little bit with creating that chance. So the 1-1 was probably a good point. Of course, we still lose. It feels like we, at this point, we didn't win the game. But I think the positive is we kept us in the game and got a point.

With the points dropped elsewhere was this a chance missed in the early table?

Yeah, I think if you look before the game, you would say that there was a good chance for us to win. But I think it's also, that's why I also said it before the game, we haven't beaten Wolves the last five times, no, six times in a row. And also a team that have lost the first five, there's a time where they will get something. And also I said before the game, they had played very, very even games.

So it's never easy. That said, I hoped and believed if we hit a top performance, we would win. We didn't hit a top performance.

I think we hit an average performance. But you do that sometimes. So yeah, we got a point on a day when not everything worked and then we move forward.

Palhinha and Bentancur was the midfield against Bournemouth and again today where you struggled for creativity. When you look back, will you reflect on whether you got that midfield selection right?

I will always look back at it but a good, old coach told me once that the line-up you picked, you did that for a reason and you don’t know what would happen if you pick the other one. Maybe you would have lost 2-0. So, I need to go with what I believe in of course. That is not to say I am not watching the game back and not reflecting and thinking about hmm, could we, should we, you never know? I actually think first half was quite good and we created enough. We would like to create a bit more, yes but actually after I took Rodri out, you could say it didn’t work because we lost the structure, so who knows? One thing is for sure, we need to do a little bit better in the second half.

Does the frustration from the fans make it hard for Vicario and others to be as calm and patient as you'd like?

I definitely think it's not easy. Now I need to look at the situations back but at the top of my head it looks like we could have also helped him a little bit more in those situations, open up a bit more. Give him more options. There was also one or two where he could have done better but hey, that's part of it. It's not easy but that's not to say he couldn't have done better.

It's a perennial problem for Spurs to not put away games like this where they are expected to win - do you have a theory, is it a mental issue?

I can only really speak about when I've been here of course. I think the two games you can see that Bournemouth also doing very well. I think they are a very difficult team to play. The one thing with Bournemouth is that was a bad performance. Overall just bad. Today I think there was much more positive in our performance. But unfortunately on the day we couldn't get the three points. That happens. I think it's still a small sample for me to just myself in that aspect.

Was Xavi Simons not playing as a number 10 because he isn't quite up to speed with Premier League yet?

No, I don't think [that]. I think it's trying to get the right balance into the team. For me also to learn the players and find out how we can get the best players on the pitch at the right time. So that I'm of course looking into. I'm very aware that Xavi he can play as a 10. He also got in as a 10 against Brighton because that was the third game in a week. And I think that was positive. I think today when he got in as a 10, it didn't really work. And that was not only because of him, by the way. I think the team, the whole team was out of sync in the last 35 minutes or something like that. But of course, I try to look into what is the best midfield. I think it's fair to say both Rodri and Joao have been very good for us so far in the season. And Lucas has been fantastic so you like to keep your players that are a little bit in the flow.

Richarlison has been fantastic in some games, but there have been a few games like tonight where he seems a little bit isolated. How do you get him more into the game?

I think for example, I think Brighton he did many good things but I liked him a little bit more in the box. I felt today he was more in the box and the cross maybe didn't land it for him.

And then I think it's also fair to say that especially the first half, we mainly played against a team with 11 players behind the ball which always made it a little bit more difficult. I think actually even Haaland can be eliminated in that situation. So a little bit more space and a little bit more open then you can create more opportunities.

Thomas Frank is speaking to the media following Tottenham's 1-1 draw against Wolves on Saturday evening in the Premier League.

Spurs struck the crossbar 15 minutes in when Mohammed Kudus' header from Xavi Simons' cross was tipped on to the woodwork by Wolves goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.

The hosts created plenty of opportunities in the first half to take the lead but it was the visitors who took the lead in the 54th minute. Guglielmo Vicario saved a Ladislav Krejci header from a corner but the ball struck Joao Palhinha and bounced back to Santiago Bueno to poke home.

It looked like Tottenham had ended Wolves' run of defeats only for Palhinha to curl home a last gasp leveller. Good play from substitute Mathys Tel on the left saw him curl the ball into the box where Pape Matar Sarr knocked it back to the Portuguese to fire home a beauty.

Our Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold is among those putting the questions to Frank. Scroll down for his latest updates from the press conference at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Tottenham grabbed a 1-1 draw in the dying seconds of their match against Wolves on Saturday evening in the Premier League and here are our Spurs player ratings.

Spurs were looking to follow up victories against West Ham, Villarreal and Doncaster Rovers and that comeback draw at Brighton with another positive display against the Premier League's bottom side. A victory against Vitor Pereira's men would have meant second place in the table and just two points behind Liverpool after six matches.

Tottenham struck the crossbar 15 minutes in when Mohammed Kudus' header from Xavi Simons' cross was tipped on to the woodwork by Wolves goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.

Spurs created plenty of opportunities in the first half to take the lead but it was the visitors who took the lead in the 54th minute. Guglielmo Vicario saved a Ladislav Krejci header from a corner but the ball struck Joao Palhinha and bounced back to Santiago Bueno to poke home.

It looked like Tottenham had ended Wolves' run of defeats only for Palhinha to curl home a last gasp leveller. Good play from substitute Mathys Tel on the left saw him curl the ball into the box where Pape Matar Sarr knocked it back to the Portuguese to fire home a beauty.

Here are our Spurs player ratings:

Guglielmo Vicario

Unfortunate to see his save from Krejci hit Palhinha and bounce back to Bueno to score. Made a couple of saves otherwise. 6

Djed Spence

Back on the right and just didn't really find his rhythm there. His delivery wasn't great. 6

Cristian Romero

Battled away to the end, putting his body on the line with some last-gasp challenges. 7

Micky van de Ven

Made an excellent early sliding tackle and mopped up a lot at the back as Wolves had very few chances. 7

Destiny Udogie

Made a great interception and break that should have resulted in a better shot from Bergvall midway through the first half. Got into some great areas but didn't find the right ball at the right time. His second half did not match a bright first half at all though. 6

Lucas Bergvall

Was Spurs' best player in the first half but fluffed a volley inside the Wolves box 22 minutes in. Would have had a great assist with a backheel for the offside Kudus in the first half. Sent an acrobatic effort over the bar before the break. Struggled with the rest of the team in the second half but still came out of the game with more credit than most. 7

Joao Palhinha

Had a penalty shout in the first half and was unfortunate to see Vicario's save hit him and bounce to Bueno to score. Popped up though with his third goal of the season to level matters and it was a curling beauty of a finish. 8

Rodrigo Bentancur

A busy game without particularly impressing, other than covering for Romero's forays forward on a couple of occasions. 5

Mohammed Kudus

Saw a header tipped on to the crossbar 15 minutes in when he probably should have scored. Had a lovely curling effort ruled out for offside. A performance with threat rather than end product. 6

Richarlison

Offered pretty much nothing up front, although he would say he barely got any service. 4

Xavi Simons

Started shakily but whipped in a good cross that resulted in a Kudus header tipped on to the woodwork. Had little moments but never really got going, even when he moved into the middle in the second half. 4

Subs

Brennan Johnson

Tried to up the tempo but didn't offer too much down the right in his time on the pitch. 5

Pedro Porro

Same as Johnson, he didn't particularly add anything more than what had already been there on the right. 5

Pape Matar Sarr

Back in the squad and picked up a crucial late assist in teeing up the ball for Palhinha. 6

Wilson Odobert

Plenty of running into players rather than doing anything with the ball with his late cameo. N/A

Mathys Tel

Ange Postecoglou's Nottingham Forest were greeted with resounding jeers following their 1-0 home defeat to Sunderland on Saturday.

Forest remain without a victory since Postecoglou took over from Nuno Espirito Santo as manager on September 9. The Reds have suffered three defeats and managed two draws across their five matches since the former Tottenham Hotspur manager's arrival at the City Ground.

It represents a stark contrast to the outstanding season under Nuno last term, when the East Midlands outfit secured seventh place to clinch European qualification for the first time in nearly three decades.

However, the Portuguese was dismissed merely three games into the new season following a dispute regarding the club's transfer strategy under former Arsenal Sporting Director Edu.

Nuno has since returned to management, replacing Graham Potter at West Ham United on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Postecoglou has endured a difficult start as he attempts to satisfy the high expectations of ambitious owner Evangelos Marinakis.

Forest currently occupy 16th position in the Premier League standings and faced hostile reception from supporters after Omar Alderete's first-half strike secured maximum points for the Black Cats.

"It was one of those evenings where we should have got the outcome we wanted," Postecoglou told BBC Sport post-match.

"We have enough chances to win the game. We conceded a really poor goal, albeit from a poor decision from the official, but after that, we had enough chances to win the game.

"We are in a cycle at the moment where we are getting every outcome out of the game except the win, and that is the most important thing."

On why his side are not scoring, he added: "It's hard to say but we don't really have the luxury of time to analyse that.

"We have the foundation to win games of football but we are not and we need to change that. Fans have got every right to be disappointed, they want to see their team win.

"I understand their disappointment, certainly shared by us in the dressing room and by me and my job is to rectify that."

Forest's focus will now shift to their Europa League encounter against Danish outfit Midtjylland at the City Ground on Thursday, before travelling to face Newcastle United in the Premier League next Sunday.

Thomas Frank has made two changes to his Tottenham team from their last Premier League line up as they welcome Wolves on Saturday evening.

Spurs are looking to follow up wins against West Ham, Villarreal and Doncaster Rovers and a comeback draw at Brighton with another positive display against the Premier League's bottom side Wolves. If they beat Vitor Pereira's men then they would sit second in the table just two points behind Liverpool after six matches.

While Wolves may be at the bottom with five defeats from five, but they have often given Spurs problems over the years, both in N17 and at Molineux. Frank has been able to name a fresh team to take on Vitor Pereira's side team after making seven changes for the win against Doncaster with Cristian Romero and Mohammed Kudus getting the night off, Micky van de Ven unused on the bench and many others only playing a portion of the match.

Spurs are still without injured strikers Dominic Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani but Pape Matar Sarr is back after missing the midweek Carabao Cup win and takes his place on the bench.

Xavi Simons starts and he takes up a position on the left wing. When it comes to the full-backs, it is the turn of Djed Spence and Destiny Udogie to play together to hand Pedro Porro a rare rest with the Champions League game at Bodo/Glimt coming up on Tuesday night.

Here's the team Frank has selected to face Wolves:

Vicario; Spence, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bergvall, Palhinha, Bentancur; Kudus, Richarlison, Xavi.

Tottenham's non-executive chairman Peter Charrington has released a message to the club's fanbase to explain what his role entails.

Charrington had already been on the board at Spurs since earlier this year, but after Daniel Levy's departure from the club as executive chairman this month, he stepped up into a new role as a part-time guiding figure for CEO Vinai Venkatesham, who is responsible for the day-to-day running of the Premier League club.

It has been a month with three rejected takeover approaches to the club's owners ENIC and the Lewis family, with the latest show of interest coming from tech entrepreneur Brooklyn Earick heading up a US consortium. ENIC have once again stated that the club is not for sale and all eyes are now on whether the former DJ and his consortium actually make a bid for the north London club.

In the meantime Charrington has released a message through the club to the supporters on the eve of their Premier League game against Wolves at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

"Dear Supporter, I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself to you following my recent appointment as Non-Executive Chairman of this great Football Club," it read.

"Many of you may have questions as to what my role entails and what it means in terms of how we run the Club moving forward. Firstly, it’s important to point out that I am not entirely new to Spurs. I joined as a Non-Executive Director back in March and I have therefore already gained an understanding as to what this Club is all about.

"Our Europa League victory in Bilbao demonstrated the impact of winning trophies and what it means to our fans both here and around the world. It’s something the Board and I want you all to experience on many more occasions.

"I have had the pleasure of knowing the Lewis family for many years and can speak to how passionate Viv, Charlie and the family all are about seeing this Club truly reach its full potential.

"I see my role as Non-Executive Chairman to be about empowering our teams at leadership level and throughout the organisation to deliver on our stated objective of long-term sporting success.

"Over the last six months I have had the privilege of meeting the many talented people within our Club driving us forward every single day – both on and off the pitch. This includes our Head Coaches, Thomas and Martin, who have shared with me their drive to develop winning Men’s and Women’s teams. My focus is on providing them with all the necessary tools to create a winning culture, with the aim that this will translate to success on the pitch.

"In Vinai, we have a CEO who is a fantastic leader and figurehead for our Club, and I will support him in delivering on our vision, developing talent within the organisation and ensuring supporters are at the heart of our decision-making.

"In terms of you - our fans - I am extremely proud of the inclusivity of our Spurs family and how we as a Club engage with the various supporter groups that make up our rich, diverse, global fanbase. I am keen we listen to our fans and understand different perspectives from all sections of our support, and I look forward to meeting with our Fan Advisory Board for the first time in the coming months to learn more about what matters most to you.

"I’ve attended various games and experienced the special atmosphere our fans create in the stadium first-hand, working with independent groups such as THFC Flags, who designed the incredible Tifo display we saw at last Tuesday’s Champions League game with Villarreal.

"I look forward to sharing many more special occasions like these with you all in the years to come. Peter."

Tottenham Hotspur are back in action as they welcome bottom side Wolves in the Premier League on Saturday evening.

Fresh from their 3-0 win against League One side Doncaster Rovers in midweek in the Carabao Cup and a comeback draw at Brighton in the league last weekend, Thomas Frank's side will be looking to continue their strong start under the new head coach with just a single defeat since the Premier League season began plus five wins and five clean sheets in all competitions since then.

Now the Lilywhites take on Wolves, who are struggling with five defeats from five in the Premier League but have always proved a problematic side for the north London outfit both at home and away over the seasons.

Harry Kane has addressed speculation surrounding a potential Premier League comeback. The England skipper netted his 100th Bayern Munich goal in just his 104th outing for the German giants on Friday evening.

The 32-year-old achieved the milestone after finding the net twice in Friday's emphatic 4-0 Bundesliga triumph against Werder Bremen. Kane has become the quickest player to reach 100 goals for a club across Europe's top five divisions this century.

He eclipsed the benchmark previously held by Erling Haaland and Cristiano Ronaldo, who both required 105 matches to hit their century for Manchester City and Real Madrid respectively. There has been considerable talk that the ex-Tottenham Hotspur striker might return to English football one day.

However, Kane, who has been connected with former club Spurs alongside Manchester United, has dismissed this possibility for now in his post-match comments. "I'm really happy here at Bayern," he said.

"I have two years left on my contract. And to be honest, I'm enjoying every minute.

"I enjoy playing here in front of the fans. I enjoy the team, the coach.

"So that's not on my mind at all. I'm just looking forward to this season and hope we'll be successful."

Regarding his achievement, he told Sky Germany: "It's crazy even for me. It's an honour to reach 100 goals for this great club.

"To do it so quickly, I'm very proud of that. Hopefully I can reach another 100 as soon as possible."

Spurs manager Thomas Frank recently offered his views on a possible transfer for Kane, heaping praise on the striker's displays at both Tottenham and Bayern. "He is an unbelievable player who did fantastic for Spurs and is doing fantastic for Bayern," Frank commented.

"Top player. I think there's a lot of Tottenham fans, including myself, who would like to see Kane back.

"Personally, I don't think he will do it right now if I'm honest. He'll probably stay in Bayern and continue performing well.

"He was top scorer last year, won the championship and he's doing fantastic now."

Tottenham Hotspur return to action on Saturday afternoon as they take on Wolverhampton Wanderers (8pm kick-off UK time).

Spurs have enjoyed a positive start to life under Thomas Frank with Tottenham currently third in the Premier League table after five matches. The Lilywhites showed spirit last weekend after fighting back from 2-0 down to earn a point at Brighton - ensuring they have lost just once in the league all season.

Tottenham now take on a Wolves team who have endured a disastrous start to the season with five defeats from five in the league. Below is the latest on Spurs' injury situation ahead of Saturday's clash at home to Vitor Pereira's men.

Dominic Solanke

Solanke has not played for Spurs since the 2-0 win over Manchester City in late August as he continues to struggle with a lingering ankle injury. He stepped up his comeback bid out in training last week, but Wednesday’s Carabao Cup third-round clash with Doncaster came too soon for a return.

Possible return date: Unknown

What Frank has said: “It's an ankle injury that's just been a little bit tricky. Nothing big. We are relatively positive that it will be relatively quick.”

Kolo Muani

Muani has only featured once for his new club so far as a late substitute in the Champions League win over Villarreal last week. The striker was not fit to line up in last weekend’s 2-2 draw at Brighton or against Doncaster due to a dead leg that has yet to heal.

Possible return date: Unknown

What Frank has said: “Dead leg is just dragging on. Little bit annoying... he will not be available."

Yves Bissouma

The midfielder is yet to play under Frank this season. He was left out of the squad that lost to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup for disciplinary reasons and has been missing since due to injury.

He continues to be recovering.

Possible return date: Unknown

What Frank has said: “I think, to be fair, he has just started to run outside, so he is not part of the group. That I actually don't know [when he will return]. Of course, I know [about his recovery], but [a return] is further down the line."

Dejan Kulusevski

Kulusevski's knee injury has been one that has forced the attacker to be out of action since the end of last season. He underwent surgery in May and has played no point in Frank's reign at the club.

Reports had suggested that he was out until 2026 but the Spurs boss has refused to put a timeframe on his return.

Possible return date: Unknown

What Frank has said: “No Kulusevski, he's out. That's a longer one, I don't want to put a timeframe on it.”

James Maddison

Maddison had looked set to play a big part under Frank this season but he ruptured his ACL in pre-season. The midfielder has since undergone surgery and is expected to be out for a long period of time.

Possible return date: Towards the end of the season

Radu Dragusin

Another ACL injury with Dragusin still out since February. There is hope that the centre-back will return to training over the break but Spurs are expected to be cautious with his return.

Possible return date: Unknown

What Frank has said: “Dragusin is on the way back and he's been running for a while,” Frank said. “I think he should join the team in a week's time, 10 days' time, I think that's the thing, so that's positive, but of course it is an ACL. I'm always a little bit more, not worried, but just aware that it takes time.

“When you've been out of football for nine months, you know, you need to get in. It's not enough to have a six-week pre-season. You need to take a little bit more time, but it's positive and some surprise and come back quicker, of course.”

Kota Takai

The summer signing picked up a plantar fascia issue during pre-season meaning he is yet to make his Spurs debut. He missed the pre-season friendlies against Reading, Wycombe and Luton.

Possible return date: Unknown

Thomas Frank must pick yet another Tottenham starting XI as the matches continue to come thick and fast with Wolves the latest visitors to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday night.

Spurs are currently playing every three days and after returning from the international break with wins against West Ham, Villarreal and Doncaster Rovers and a comeback draw at Brighton they will go into this latest game against bottom side Wolves with an unbeaten feeling and plenty of clean sheets.

Wolves may be struggling with five defeats from five, but they have often given Spurs problems over the years, both in N17 and at Molineux, and Frank will be looking to name a fresh and balanced team to take on Vitor Pereira's side team. The Dane is still without injured strikers Dominic Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani but he does have midfielder Pape Matar Sarr back in contention after missing the midweek Carabao Cup win.

The Spurs boss made seven changes for that win against Doncaster with Cristian Romero and Mohammed Kudus getting the night off, Micky van de Ven unused on the bench and many others only playing a portion of the match.

One player who did start the game and played an hour was Xavi Simons, but the Dutchman only played the final 30 minutes at Brighton so should be fine to start again on Saturday evening. The question for Frank will be whether the 22-year-old plays in a midfield three where he can create more through the middle or whether he takes up a position on the left wing.

Another decision comes with the full-backs and whether it is the turn of Djed Spence and Destiny Udogie to play together to hand Pedro Porro a rare rest with the Champions League game at Bodo/Glimt coming on Tuesday night. The composition of the midfield will also be a factor for Frank and whether he uses both Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha again, with the Portuguese playing in central defence against Rovers.

Here's the team that we reckon Frank could select to face Wolves: