Thomas Frank believes he has earned the right to spend more time in charge at Tottenham as pressure continues to mount on the head coach.
Wednesday’s loss to Bournemouth leaves Tottenham languishing in 14th place in the Premier League, with just one win in their last six competitive matches.
A bad night was made even worse by further upset from supporters and club captain Cristian Romero appearing to criticize the club’s hierarchy on social media.
Despite the turmoil, Frank believes he has done enough to merit patience.
“There’s no doubt about it. Let’s put it this way: Do we want to move up in the table and get more points? 100 percent,” Frank said in his pre-match press conference ahead of the FA Cup third-round clash with Aston Villa.
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Watch for free: Highlights of Bournemouth vs. Tottenham in the Premier League.
“We are working hard every day to perform well and we want to finish in the best possible position at the end of the season.
“We need to keep an eye on the FA Cup match. It’s a good opportunity against Villa, a team that is on the rise at this moment. This tournament is very important for the fans and we have won it eight times in our history. It’s a tough spell but we will overcome this.”
“I definitely want to do more (offensively). I’ve scored enough goals.”
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Thomas Frank explains why he used the Arsenal Cup ahead of Spurs vs. Bournemouth.
Frank also admitted that his style of play during his tenure has not matched the expectations of the fans, but insisted that the fans are working hard to find a way to match Tottenham’s “spirit”.
“That’s a fair question. We talked about that frustration. It’s the ethos of the club and it’s something we work hard at,” he said.
“I consider myself to have above-average intelligence. I know it very well. My teams have always created chances and scored goals.
“This team is going to do the same thing. It’s fair to say we were missing some of the tough, free offensive players that we had the last few seasons.
“That’s part of the challenge and part of the other parts that we need to work hard at every day to improve it.”
Kudus will be suspended until March.
Tottenham Hotspur’s Mohamed Kudus leaves the pitch with injury
To make matters worse for Frank and Tottenham, winger Mohamed Kudus is likely to be sidelined after Frank revealed he is expected to be out for at least two months with a quadriceps injury.
Kudus missed the trip to the Vitality Stadium and Frank confirmed he is not expected to return until after the March international break, while also providing updates on Lukas Bergvall, Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski.
“Lucas Bergvall is undergoing tests today. I will speak to him later today about the details,” Frank said. “It’s the same with Rodrigo Bentancur. It looks like a hamstring injury, it’s a bigger injury. We don’t know how long it will last.
“Kudus is the bigger player in the quad and he is the player we expect to have back after the March international break.
“The latest update on Kulusevski, we know it’s a complicated injury. If there’s one player who can accelerate, it’s Dejan. He’s a top professional, he has a top mentality.”
“The most important thing is to get rid of the pain in my knee. I got an injection 10 days ago to help with that. The pain should subside in three to four weeks. Once it’s fixed, I’ll be back on the grass.”
Kudus’ injury couldn’t have come at a worse time for Frank.
Injuries never come at a good time, but losing Kudus is a bitter pill to swallow for Frank.
The Spurs have struggled offensively since Frank took over, but Kudus has always been one of the Spurs’ bright sparks. The former West Ham man leads the club in the Premier League for assists, tops take-ons and third in chances created.
Furthermore, the fact that he is also the biggest threat from crosses, takes the second most shots and scores the most goals in the team, and the fact that Frank cannot rely on him at a time when he has been criticized for lacking interesting football is dangerous.
Frank said the club’s “ethos” were one of entertainment, but his approach and the combination of players currently at their disposal meant Tottenham’s matches were far from must-see fixtures.
Unless Spurs choose to act in the transfer market and bring in a replacement for Kudus who fits their ethos, Frank may have to abandon the idea of expansive football altogether and focus on winning by any means necessary to buy the minutes he believes he has already earned.
Callum Bishop
Tottenham’s next six games
Saturday 10 January – Aston Villa (H) – FA Cup Saturday 17 January – West Ham (H) – Premier League Tuesday 20 January – Borussia Dortmund (H) – Champions League Saturday 24 January – Burnley (A) – Premier League Wednesday 28 January – Eintracht Frankfurt (A) – Champions League Sunday, February 1 – Manchester City (H) – Premier League
