TBR Football

The last week has been far from ideal for Tottenham Hotspur, with Thomas Frank seeing his team lose in the League Cup and the London derby against Chelsea.

That defeat against Chelsea, in particular, has caused much concern among the Tottenham fanbase, who were frustrated with yet another poor showing at home.

Add to that the growing injury worries at Spurs, with Mohamed Kudus, Djed Spence, and Lucas Bergvall added to the list of absentees, and Thomas Frank has quite the headache ahead of facing FC Copenhagen in the Champions League.

However, the biggest concern at the club right now is with the leadership group, as Guglielmo Vicario piles on the pressure by lashing out at the supporters.

Guglielmo Vicario criticism of Tottenham fans is wrong

After the final whistle on Saturday evening, Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence snubbed Frank for a handshake and stormed down the tunnel at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Now, Vicario has seemingly blamed the supporters in the stadium for not getting behind the team and contributing to a difficult atmosphere for the defeat against Chelsea.

Vicario said: “We have spoken. We need cooler heads [during the games]. If we had a bit more help during some situations from the stands, maybe we could do a bit better. But we can’t do anything about that. It was a big, painful situation. They can express their pain.”

Close to 60,000 Spurs fans spent their Saturday night watching the team lose to Chelsea yet again. In fact, Tottenham have only won two of their last ten home league clashes with the Blues. Surely, then, voicing their discontent from the stands is more than warranted on this occasion, especially given the nature of the game, in which the Lilywhites generated an xG of just 0.10 from a total of three shots.

Coming for the fans is never a good idea, unless in extreme circumstances, of course. Right now, the only extreme issue is the entertainment value of this Tottenham team, and Vicario’s comments are going to alienate the supporters even more at the worst possible time.

Thomas Frank needs a serious conversation with his leadership group

There’s no denying Tottenham are struggling right now. Results have been fairly inconsistent, but performances have failed to ignite a spark under Thomas Frank.

The more glaring issue, though, is the behaviour of Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence. Internally, it’s said Spurs are ‘satisfied’ that a resolution was found with regards to the incident on Saturday, but whatever the reason for their actions, those two players showed a total lack of respect for their manager in public view.

Van de Ven has captained the team on multiple occasions this season and should act with more composure and responsibility.

With James Maddison out injured, Vicario criticising the fans, and van de Ven acting out against the manager, it’s not a good look for Spurs and their leadership group. You’d hope Thomas Frank can get a hold of the situation quickly behind the scenes and they can all clear the air, or bigger problems may start to arise down the line.

Joao Palhinha has had mixed fortunes at Tottenham since he arrived from Bayern Munich, which has seen Jamie Carragher change his mind on the Portuguese star.

Over the weekend, Tottenham Hotspur were beaten 1-0 by their London rivals, with the manner of the defeat causing supporters great frustration.

Now, Thomas Frank’s honeymoon period has well and truly come to an end, with many supporters quickly growing tired of his style of play as a manager.

One of the key reasons why his team are suffering has been highlighted by Jamie Carragher, who is unsure about the Dane’s summer signing.

Jamie Carragher slams Joao Palhinha’s inability to progress the ball

Carragher has been quite critical of Joao Palhinha’s inability to progress the ball and has called for Frank to fix Tottenham Hotspur’s midfield.

Just a few days ago, Carragher said Palhinha was Tottenham’s best signing and suggested he was just what the new Spurs boss needed.

But, against Chelsea, Palhinha was poor, and the Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football team have highlighted how low the Spurs midfield ranks for progressive passes.

The Lilywhites created the lowest xG they’ve ever recorded in the Premier League at 0.05, which was partly down to their Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur double pivot.

When asked about whether Tottenham’s lack of line-breaking midfielders was an issue, Carragher told Sky Sports Monday Night Football: “That’s the problem, and for me, for Thomas Frank, that’s something he has got to grow; he’s early in it, and one of his first signings is Palhinha.

“Now, he is not capable, I don’t think, of doing this. There is a reason why teams in the Premier League didn’t buy him from Fulham, and there’s a reason why Bayern Munich bought him and didn’t play him. That’s a worry.

“But for Thomas Frank moving forward, you think of pragmatic managers in the past, they’ve made that jump from a smaller club to a bigger club. That has always been the problem: Can they coach the rotations, the build-up play to break the lines?”

Carragher also questioned Xavi Simons, who is another player having a tough time at Tottenham under Frank.

The 22-year-old was subbed on after five minutes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, only to be hauled off in the 73rd minute.

Thomas Frank can’t select Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur together

Frank must quickly end his experiment of partnering Palhinha with Bentancur, or he risks alienating the fan base in North London.

Neither midfielder is particularly strong when it comes to creating chances, meaning Spurs are struggling to build from the back.

The former Brentford manager must consider bringing in Pape Matar Sarr for one of the two, but in fairness to Frank, he has been limited by injuries.

Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall are both sidelined right now, leaving Sarr, Palhinha with Bentancur as his options against Copenhagen.

Tottenham Hotspur are already looking ahead to new incomings despite the summer transfer window closing just two months ago – and that has seen Thomas Frank take particular interest in one star to better his attacking ranks.

Tottenham signed a plethora of new players to deal with Champions League football after winning the Europa League last season, as well as switching to manager Thomas Frank’s style of play following on from Ange Postecoglou’s sacking.

Some of those signings have hit the ground running, such as Joao Palhinha, who has returned to the Premier League with panache, though Xavi Simons has found his top-flight spell to be largely underwhelming.

It’s a correlation that seems to be affecting their entire attacking unit – and the 1-0 defeat to Chelsea on Saturday means that it’s no surprise that West Ham skipper and 19-cap England star, Jarrod Bowen, is wanted by Tottenham chiefs to fix that issue.

Sources: Jarrod Bowen is wanted by Tottenham to bolster their front line

TBR Football understands that West Ham United won’t allow Bowen to leave in January, which scuppers any immediate plans of a Tottenham move for the England star.

The Hammers captain has been their most vital player since his move to the London Stadium, and if they are to stay in the Premier League, they’ll want him to stay until at least the end of the season.

But although the Hammers won’t sanction a sale in January, Spurs’ interest remains. Back in April, our sources confirmed Tottenham would happily take Bowen, and the club are in the market for a new wide forward in January.

Tottenham have asked about Bowen’s availability on multiple occasions, letting his representatives know that they’d be interested in a deal.

That isn’t feasible at present but long-term plans could be put in place for a move across the capital.

TBR Football’s chief correspondent Graeme Bailey said: “West Ham sources acknowledge players could leave, but Jarrod Bowen will not be one of them – the club know they can’t even consider letting him go in January.

“Tottenham love Bowen, but they are not alone and whilst I don’t see him going in the New Year, come the summer – it’s going to be hard to see West Ham keeping hold of him.”

If a move is lined up after the season has finished, Tottenham qualifying for the Champions League once again will help their sales pitch.

Worrying Tottenham stat is the reason Thomas Frank wants Jarrod Bowen

Tottenham’s game with Chelsea on Saturday ended in defeat, with the home players being booed off the pitch and it led to Micky van de Ven eventually snubbing manager Thomas Frank after the game.

But the real issue, when diving into the statistics, is that only Mohammed Kudus from the entire Tottenham team managed to get a shot away.

Although he didn’t score, the Ghanaian was the only player to trouble Robert Sanchez in the Chelsea goal, forcing a save in first half stoppage time.

Randal Kolo Muani played for 73 minutes without a shot. Meanwhile, Richarlison’s half-hour cameo, Xavi Simons being subbed on and then off with 66 minutes of game time, alongside Wilson Odobert and Brennan Johnson’s late appearances, all came without a single attempt.

Jarrod Bowen, meanwhile, already has three goals so far this season and as a more attacking, goal-happy wide man, he would be a superb signing.

Tottenham haven’t really settled on a wide attacker since Son Heung-min’s decline and eventual departure, and goals are badly needed in North London.

Only Richarlison has more than him in the competition’s history by eight, albeit with two-and-a-half more seasons under his belt. And, with the Brazilian failing to properly muster a first-team spot, that could be an opportunity for Bowen to come in and make it his own.

Joao Palhinha has generally been good for Tottenham Hotspur since his move from Bayern Munich, but against Chelsea, one of his biggest flaws was highlighted.

Thomas Frank’s honeymoon period in North London is well and truly over following what was a shocking defeat at home to Chelsea.

Tottenham Hotspur were beaten 1-0 by their London rivals and failed to put up much of a fight following Joao Pedro’s opening goal.

One of the biggest talking points from Frank’s reign at Spurs has been his midfield selection and its issues reared their head in the derby defeat.

Joao Palhinha is causing Tottenham’s attack issues

Joao Palhinha’s stats against Chelsea showed that he is hindering Tottenham’s ability to move the ball forward.

There’s no doubting that, on the whole, Palhinha has been a strong signing, but when a midfielder like Moises Caicedo strutted his stuff at the Spurs stadium, it showed the Portuguese’s limitations.

The Chelsea midfielder, much like Palhinha, specialises in breaking up play and winning the ball back, but he also offers so much more to Enzo Maresca’s side.

In possession, he has shown himself to be very comfortable, which is quite the opposite of Palhinha, who too often looks for the safe option.

Not many number six midfielders in Europe can compare to Caicedo, but it does highlight the importance of having someone in there who can also create.

Against Chelsea, Palhinha completed 28 of his 37 passes, along with a pass progression rate of just 1.9 and a carry progression rate of 0.3.

In short, Spurs’ struggles to create meaningful attacks are not being helped by the 30-year-old’s reluctance to play forward.

For balance, he looked great away at Everton the week prior, doing a great job screening the likes of Micky van de Ven and Kevin Danso.

But when Tottenham want to play with a bit more authority in attack, Frank needs to consider his midfield choices, especially when Palhinha is partnering Rodrigo Bentancur.

As TBR Football reported back in September, Tottenham are keen to sign Palhinha permanently, but perhaps they should remain more open-minded about other targets.

Tottenham set a record low for xG against Chelsea

Tottenham set a record low for xG against Chelsea as the Lilywhites managed just 0.05, which is just unacceptable at home.

Never has a Spurs side offered such little threat to the opposition’s goal, and it just exposed the team’s weakness in moving the ball forward.

It’s not the first time Tottenham have looked toothless under Frank, and this is something the Dane will need to address quickly.

His team were booed off in the London derby, and patience is starting to wear thin amongst supporters over their inability to attack.

Thomas Frank faces a huge Champions League game against Copenhagen in which Tottenham could be without Mohammed Kudus, Lucas Bergvall and Djed Spence.

Injuries have been a big worry for the Danish manager since moving to North London, and now he looks to have lost a trio of key players.

Thomas Frank is already without the likes of James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, so to potentially lose a player like Kudus is a huge blow.

For the Lilywhites, this is a crucial Champions League match, having dropped four points from their last two games in the competition. So, missing more players ramps up the pressure even higher.

Mohammed Kudus, Lucas Bergvall and Djed Spence miss Tottenham training

Mohammed Kudus, Lucas Bergvall and Djed Spence have all missed Tottenham Hotspur training ahead of playing Copenhagen on Tuesday.

Kudus has been excellent for Tottenham this season, but since suffering a heavy tackle against Everton, the winger hasn’t quite looked right.

The Ghanaian winger is due to be part of the press conference later today discussing the match, and this will provide a clearer picture of his status for the clash.

Bergvall suffered a concussion against Chelsea, which forced him off after just five minutes, and he was always likely to miss this fixture.

Tottenham are well stocked in midfield, so this won’t be a major worry, but it does put extra workload on the fit players.

Spence snubbed Frank after Chelsea, which caused a fair amount of discussion, and his absence will be rather interesting as to why.

Destiny Udogie is back from injury, which means the Italian defender will likely take his spot against the Danish club.

Mikey Moore’s Rangers career is quickly heading in one direction, and his latest performance for the Scottish giants has fans in doubt over his status in the team.

Rangers suffered a crushing defeat to Celtic, as Danny Rohl’s side lost 3-1 in the Scottish League Cup semi-final.

Thelo Aasgaard was shown a red card in the first half, which placed the Light Blues on the back foot early on, and the visitors failed to recover.

After the defeat at Hampden Park, the Tottenham Hotspur youngster looked dejected, but the reaction from the club’s fans should buoy him.

Rangers fans want Mikey Moore to start more often

Rangers fans are calling for Mikey Moore to become one of the first names on the team sheet at Ibrox after his display against Celtic.

The 18-year-old came off the bench against their bitter rivals and made a strong attempt at dragging the team back into the game.

Initially, Rangers fans were unsure of Moore, but over recent weeks, the tide has started to change, and the youngster’s performances have picked up significantly.

Tottenham had considered recalling Moore, given the situation at Ibrox and his lack of minutes, though things are looking much brighter now.

Following the arrival of Rohl at Rangers, Moore has been moved into the number ten role, and this has helped to get the best out of him. Meanwhile, the whole mood at the club has been lifted.

Following the defeat to Celtic, Rangers fans have now taken to social media to praise the teenager and have sent a clear message to their manager.

One fan said: “Mikey Moore and Djeidi Gassama should be in the starting 11 for the foreseeable… Worked their socks off and have shown quality on the ball.”

“Mikey Moore has been brilliant since he’s come on. The only player actually trying to make things happen,” added another.

There was yet more praise for the Spurs loanee: “Mikey Moore has been the best player on the pitch since he came on.”

Finally, another added: “It says a lot when an 18-year-old is our biggest threat. Fair play to Mikey Moore, right now he’s the first name on the team sheet.”

Jamie Donley’s Stoke City nightmare contunes

Jamie Donley’s loan spell at Stoke City continues to go from bad to worse as the midfielder failed to even make the squad against Bristol City.

The 20-year-old has been struggled to even make it off the bench at Stoke, having played just 77 minutes in the Championship.

Now, for their 5-1 win over Bristol City, he didn’t even make the bench, and surely now it’s time for Spurs to think about recalling him.

Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence were spotted blanking Thomas Frank after losing to Chelsea and Tottenham have given their take on the incident.

Tottenham Hotspur were beaten 1-0 at home to Chelsea, but it was the performance of Thomas Frank’s side which has supporters most worried.

In the aftermath of the defeat, Van de Ven did not look best pleased as he stormed straight down the tunnel, walking straight past the manager.

Van de Ven snubbing Frank after the match has been quite a big talking point, but the North London club have now given their take on the incident.

Tottenham are ‘satisfied’ with the Micky van de Ven incident

Tottenham are believed to be ‘satisfied’ that the incident involving Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence was not a slight on Frank, according to BBC Sport.

Instead, the club believe the players’ frustration was aimed at the supporters, who booed them off against their West London rivals.

The Danish head coach appeared to ask the pair to go and applaud the fans, but neither obliged and headed straight to the dressing room.

The mood at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is rather low right now, with the Lilywhites having lost 12 of their 20 Premier League home matches in 2025.

However, many fans will argue that performances under Frank and Ange Postecoglou in North London have been pretty abhorrent to watch.

Under Postecoglou, Spurs often found themselves wide open at the back; meanwhile, there are worries about Frank’s football being unadventurous.

Micah Richards says Micky van de Ven snub ‘looked worse than it was’

Micah Richards believes Van de Ven’s decision to snub Frank ‘looked worse than it was’, with the vice captain simply frustrated by the result.

Richards told The Rest Is Football: “This could just be a thing where they were so frustrated by the game and it looked worse than it was, which was probably the case. But if it wasn’t, the manager has to take a stance, I think.”

Gary Lineker agreed that the incident was ‘not a great look’ but understood Van de Ven’s reluctance to address the fans, having been partly at fault for the goal.

“Maybe the two of them have gone, ‘We’ve had a nightmare, I can’t go and face the fans because it was our fault’, so you’ve got to be careful because we don’t know all the details. But at the same time, to dismiss your manager, in front of everybody, is not a great look,” added Lineker.

Chelsea beat Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, with Enzo Maresca getting the better of Thomas Frank on Saturday evening.

A Joao Pedro goal was the difference on the night, with the Brazilian ending his goal drought with a 34th-minute strike.

That was enough to secure all three points for the Blues and propel them up to sixth in the table, level on points with Tottenham.

Spurs didn’t have enough firepower on the night, and it was apparent there were a few issues in midfield. Chelsea dominated in that area, with Moises Caicedo and Reece James both excellent.

Enzo Maresca surprised at Thomas Frank’s team selection

Enzo Maresca touched on this after the match and suggested that he was surprised by Thomas Frank’s team selection, with the Italian thinking the Spurs boss would have played a three-man midfield.

“It depends a little bit on the game plan. I think yesterday we needed a little bit more physicality in the middle,” explained Maresca.

“We expected them to play with [Pape Matar] Sarr, with [Rodrigo] Bentancur, with [Joao] Palhinha. We didn’t expect them with four midfielders, because then [Lucas] Bergvall also played.

“So we needed a little bit more physicality in the middle, but it depends a little bit on the game plan.”

Bergvall, of course, had to go off through injury, replaced by the disappointing Xavi Simons, who was later substituted himself.

Thomas Frank says he understands Tottenham fans’ frustrations

Aside from being dominated in midfield, the overriding factor in the defeat was that Tottenham simply couldn’t create any chances.

The lack of a goalscorer is becoming a huge issue, and fans resorted to booing at the end of the game – something Frank acknowledged.

“We all sense the frustration and the emotions. That is part of football. It is extremely painful and, of course, that is part of the job – to face you guys now and answer the very good questions when you are burning inside.

“You like to find solutions, watch the game back and see what went wrong, but I think it’s about trying to stay calm. In general, I think Chelsea were good and we were definitely second best.

“We performed badly. I think we lacked energy and intensity and that freshness we didn’t have. Then I think the high pressure they came with – I don’t think we solved it well enough even though we worked on it. That’s something we need to keep improving.

“Our high press lacked a little bit in the beginning until we got on top of it, and then they went 1-0 up and we were chasing. Then it’s a bad cycle – we’re chasing, lacking intensity and energy, and making bad decisions.”

Tottenham face FC Copenhagen on Tuesday evening, where they’ll be hoping to at least find the net as they continue their Champions League campaign.

Tottenham Hotspur failed to win at home for the fourth successive game in a row in the Premier League after they fell 1-0 to London rivals Chelsea on Saturday – and former boss Tim Sherwood believes he knows why their home form is so poor.

Joao Pedro’s strike in the first half after some poor defensive work handed Chelsea all three points, and although it keeps them fourth in the Premier League, a win would have taken Tottenham into second.

Instead, they could be leapfrogged into sixth if wins for Manchester City and Sunderland transpire later in the week.

And Tim Sherwood believes that Thomas Frank’s men are suffering on home soil because of a pressure to perform and entertain at home, instead of merely picking up points in a somewhat boring manner.

Tottenham are struggling to perform at home as there is too much pressure to entertain

Speaking on Premier League Productions’ ‘Team Talks’, Sherwood claimed that Tottenham are a good side when they play how they want to play.

But pressure from home fans to put on a show on home soil can get too much – as seen in the defeat to Chelsea, with some poor passing out from the back by Tottenham leading to Joao Pedro’s goal.

Sherwood said: “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.

“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’s demands from the fans to entertain. You feel obliged as a player to entertain as well.“

Spurs have the fourth-worst home record in the league, only being worse off than Nottingham Forest, Wolves and West Ham.

That misery was compounded when footage emerged of Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence snubbed Thomas Frank after the game, walking straight down the tunnel.

Tottenham have had a poor home record over the past calendar year

Tottenham’s 4-1 home win over Aston Villa this time last year put them into seventh in the table, in what was their fourth home win from five in the Premier League at the time.

But since then, they have won just three home matches in the Premier League.

A win over Manchester United in February, a victory against rock-bottom Southampton in April and a dream opening day start at home to Burnley to kickstart the campaign are their only triumph in what has been a torrid past year to be a season ticket holder.

Ipswich Town, Chelsea, Liverpool, Leicester City, Newcastle United, Manchester City, Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace, Brighton, Bournemouth, Aston Villa and Chelsea once again on Saturday have all beaten Spurs in the league over the past year at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium alone.

It’s something that Thomas Frank needs to sort as soon as possible if he is to drag Tottenham into genuine Champions League contention, despite their strong form on the road.

Micky van de Ven was left seething in the aftermath of Tottenham’s defeat to Chelsea, and the club’s hierarchy will be concerned by his reaction.

Tottenham Hotspur suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Chelsea and produced what was a worrying display in the London derby.

Thomas Frank’s team created an xG of just 0.10 against the Blues, which resulted in a chorus of jeers from the home supporters in North London.

After the game, the Dutch defender went storming down the tunnel, which could be bad news for hopes of tying him down to a new contract.

Micky van de Ven may have doubts over signing new Tottenham contract

Micky van de Ven may have second thoughts about signing a new contract with Tottenham after his furious reaction to the Spurs fans’ boos.

Van de Ven blanked Frank and headed straight down the tunnel at the Spurs stadium in absolute disgust.

Currently, Vinai Venkatesham is in talks with Van de Ven over a new contract in a bid to fend off interest from elsewhere.

The 24-year-old’s current deal runs until 2028, so Spurs are well protected, but with Real Madrid, Chelsea and Bayern Munich all interested, they will be keen to avoid possible transfer talks.

But Van de Ven may well look at the clubs that have him on their list of targets, look at the project on offer at Spurs and think twice about committing his future in North London.

Any club that did want to sign the Dutch international in the near future would find it tough, however, given that Tottenham would likely value him at an astronomical figure.

Right now, it won’t be a major concern for the North Londoners, but they will need to keep a check on how he feels about the direction of Spurs’ project under Frank.

Alan Shearer defends Micky van de Ven storming down the tunnel

Alan Shearer says he understands why Van de Ven decided to storm down the tunnel following the team’s embarrassing performance.

The former Premier League striker told BBC MOTD: “It’s an embarrassment today; they’ve been booed off the pitch. I get they just want to get off the pitch and say their sorrys later.

“I get it, as much as Thomas Frank likes to go round and thank the fans, I get the players’ point of view, and they want to get off the pitch as soon as possible.”

Either way, though, it’s poor form from the Tottenham defender, who needs to understand that the supporters feel so let down after a shambolic performance.