The Observer

There is still so much to discover about this version of Tottenham Hotspur under Thomas Frank but one early trait has already revealed itself: resilience.

The heartbreak of losing on ­penalties to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup after leading until the 94th minute was soothed by a commanding 3-0 win at home to Burnley, in what Frank billed as a “dream start”.

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The club’s supporters would no doubt argue that because this is Tottenham Hotspur, any elation must be followed by outright disappointment. Missing out on Eberechi Eze when his arrival from Crystal Palace seemed all but secured is one thing, but to see him go to Arsenal? The ­consensus seems to be that however Eze fares at the Emirates – rather well, you would expect – Spurs ­supporters will never hear the end of it from their nearest and not so dearest rivals.

Hence the early but not unexpected chants yesterday from the travelling supporters in the top of the South Stand demanding: “We Want Levy Out”, exasperated by Spurs’ ­perceived dithering by failing to sign Eze before Arsenal had made their move. And then Spurs were 2-0 up, and those calls for Levy’s departure had been replaced by “Champions of Europe, we know what we are”. Winning makes everyone happy, even if the discontent among Spurs supporters with how Levy operates is unlikely to go anywhere any time soon.

One problem for Frank was that he had already billed the Burnley win last week as the perfect start. This performance was even better, with plenty to like about how Spurs absorbed long spells of pressure in the first half and then repelled it back at their hosts, forcing mistakes with their own pressing.

Pep Guardiola noted in his pre-match comments how his side had “suffered” facing Frank’s Brentford teams in the past and here was another taste of that pain. João Palhinha, the on-loan signing from Bayern Munich, capitalised on James Trafford’s error for Spurs’ second goal and was generally excellent, combining with Rodrigo Bentancur to unpick City’s midfield physically. Djed Spence at full-back was similarly impressive, showing a calm head along with the rest of Spurs’ defence.

And then there was Richarlison. Frank’s comments in the week regarding the Brazilian felt pointed, giving the striker his undisputed backing when he declared “right now, he is my starting nine”. When City were piling on the pressure in the first half Richarlison barely saw the goal, his back turned and John Stones all over him, desperately trying to hold up the ball to give Spurs an outlet to escape from their own half.

With the first real chance he had to slip behind Manchester City’s defence chasing a long ball, Richarlison caught out Stones and stayed onside by the finest of margins – a tight enough call that it required a VAR check – to set up Brennan Johnson for the opening goal.

Tottenham Hotspur, of course, came here last season and inflicted record-breaking misery on Pep Guardiola, that 4-0 win handing Manchester City’s illustrious manager a fifth straight defeat for the first time in his managerial career. But at that point City were stuck in a downward spiral and Spurs capitalised.

This was a revamped Manchester City side who cruised to victory at Wolves on the opening weekend when the three recruits who arrived in time for the Club World Cup – Rayan Aït-Nouri, Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders – all made positive contributions, particularly Reijnders with a goal and an assist. One week later and Aït-Nouri was forced off in the first half after a knock to his ankle, Cherki made way after 54 minutes and Reijnders was noticeably quieter.

The timing of the Club World Cup led to City moving quickly in the transfer market and meant that trio bedded in early ahead of the new season. That was not the case for goalkeeper James Trafford, re-signed from Burnley at the end of last month and currently City’s starter in goal, while Ederson’s future is decided ahead of the transfer window closing on 1 September.

Presumably the agent of Gianluigi Donnarumma, linked heavily with a move to the Etihad in recent weeks following his exile at PSG, rubbed their hands with glee at the sight of Trafford dozily ­trying to find Nico González inside his own box, inviting Pape Matar Sarr to poach back the ball before Palhinha hammered home.

City were surprisingly flat after half-time bar an injection of urgency off the bench from Jérémy Doku, unlike in the first half when Omar Marmoush had a couple of chances and Erling Haaland headed over the bar. Perhaps the ongoing construction of the North Stand at the Etihad is an accurate metaphor for where Manchester City currently are.

“Manchester City, it’s happened again”, sang the away supporters as City’s fans headed for an early exit, cheering their third victory in four matches in this fixture over the past year. Except this time Manchester City had not come into this fixture reeling from a lack of form or facing questions about their identity.

Spurs were organised, composed, rode out the periods when the heat was turned up, pressed diligently and had the pace out wide to worry opponents.

Sprinkle in a couple more signings before the window shuts and they might have something. But even if not, the core of the side who ground out this win were already at the club when Frank arrived, a testament to his talent as a manager.

Just before 1.30pm on Saturday, on the corner of Brereton Road, two men stretched to display a homemade banner reading “Built a business, killed a football club”. While Sheffield Wednesday and Morecambe peer into the abyss, Change For Tottenham were “here in the hope to push the club into making serious transfers to strengthen our squad, to enable us to challenge on all fronts”.

Fans filing into the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium ignored them as only Londoners can, as though their pessimism might be contagious. When their arms and anger tired, the banner was draped limply over a bollard. Stonewall it was not.

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Change for Tottenham demand “a club where football matters above commercial interests”, but also “investment in footballing success”, presumably with money raised from some sort of whip-round. Tottenham have the fourth-highest net spend in football since 2019, spending £50m less than Paris Saint-Germain and £250m more than Real Madrid in that period. Levy wrote the playbook for how modern football clubs should be run off the pitch. It cannot have helped their cause that 30 minutes prior, reports emerged that Eberechi Eze was unlikely to play for Crystal Palace on Sunday as his move to Tottenham accelerated.

But as easy as it is to mock the protesting pair, their feelings are also understandable. Life in the Postecoglou family was chaotic and emotional and all-encompassing, but most of all deeply confusing. A first trophy in 17 years, and 17th in the Premier League. An inherently likeable man with noble, romantic ideals and a loose grip on reality and fact. Tottenham fans are institutionally predisposed to doom-mongering, far more used to and comfortable in crisis than comfort. Making sense of the neuroses triggered by one of the oddest seasons any football club has endured will take time. Cases of Long Ange are inevitable.

Yet throughout what became a joyous, rollicking 3-0 win over a Burnley side already in “you have to fear for them” territory, there was a distinct new era vibe in the air. This is the first season in over a decade without Harry Kane or Heung-min Son. Thomas Frank prowled around his technical area like a contemporary artist about to unveil a new exhibition exploring his childhood trauma. Richarlison not only opened the scoring with a sharp half-volley, but then contorted himself for a magical overhead kick, both created by Mohammed Kudus’s dancing feet. He had not scored a brace for Tottenham since February 2024 and Daniel Levy has spent the past year attempting to flog him to anyone with a few million quid and poor recruitment advice.

Spurs fans are institutionally predisposed to doom-mongering, more used to crisis than comfort

As Richarlison’s mini-renaissance serves to prove, it is also unclear how good this squad really is. Constant injuries and constant Ange made it difficult to assess individuals last season, with so many seemingly playing closer to the floor of their abilities than the ceiling. We know this is not the 17th-best squad in the league. We also know there is significant unrealised potential. For all the often justified criticism of the club’s recruitment, they have procured some exceptional young players. Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray, both still 19, and Pape Matar Sarr, 22, all started on Saturday, the potential early days of an extraordinary midfield trio.

Elsewhere, Kudus, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski (the latter two both injured) would be one of the most interesting and exciting creative corps in the Premier League, even without Eze. Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven are among the finest and most balanced central defensive pairings anywhere. Less than a year since his Tottenham career appeared over, Djed Spence has become a remarkable full-back.

Already 3-0 up, Frank brought on Dominic Solanke, Rodrigo Bentancur, João Palhinha and Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel. Even if it is not perfect, this squad is deeper and better than many are willing to acknowledge, and Frank already has a proven history of rapid and drastic player development, of achieving well beyond his means.

The Champions League campaign will complicate things, as will the inevitable emotional and physical wear and tear of a Premier League season. Every day will not be as gloriously smooth as this. Yet in the heady delirium following Richarlison’s acrobatics, there was a rare sense that all was right in Tottenham’s world, that as effectively as he argued otherwise the worst of the club’s problems might have been exorcised with Postecoglou. As much as fans understandably did not and will not want to admit it, perhaps he was the biggest problem after all.