It’s only been a couple of days since Thomas Frank last stood in front of a small crowd of journalists who asked him questions about Tottenham Hotspur, but just in case you were hoping that an Angel of the
Lord came down and healed Spurs’ injured players with their healing touch… well, they didn’t. Frank, speaking ahead of Spurs’ match at Everton this Sunday, said the injured trio of Cuti Romero, Destiny Udogie, and Dominic Solanke are still out and will not feature when Spurs play in Everton’s new stadium.
“Yes, Cuti just walked out on the grass running, some of the performance guys, so positive, progressing, no time frame, but I don’t expect it to be a longer one. Destiny is not on the grass yet, but still progressing, so again, not a longer one. With Dominic, it’s positive, he’s taking steps in the right direction every day, was on the grass again today on his own, but has now a sustainable amount of pitch sessions in him on his own, so it’s progressing forward.”
I mean, that’s all great and positive news, but certainly doesn’t help Spurs this Sunday against an Everton team that’s unbeaten in the brand spanking new Hill Dickinson Stadium. Tottenham will attempt to be the first team to actually BEAT the Toffees in their new ground, though they haven’t really been tested — Everton have wins over Brighton and Crystal Palace and draws against Aston Villa and West Ham at home this season.
Frank has obviously been hampered by Spurs’ extensive injury list which includes not just the three aforementioned players but also Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison. Frank refused to use injuries as an excuse but did admit, y’know, it’d be nice to have them back, certainly.
“Every head coach, manager wants all the players fit, and we get that, then we complain about the squad being too big, and then you need to disappoint players, but anyway, I rather want that, of course. It is what it is, you’re right, I very, very rarely say anything about injuries, because it is what it is, I need to deal with it, and it’s my job to put the best possible available team on the pitch and get it hopefully clicking. Of course there’s some of these, especially Kulusevski and Maddison, proven players that prove in this club for goals and assists and creating things, so they would have been lovely to be able to use, but I think we have some very talented players who are growing.
“Wilson [Odobert], Xavi [Simons], I think Mo [Kudus] have been very good for us as well and I think [Richarlison] had a good start to the season, he tried to get up to pace, but the reality is that we are working very hard on getting the flow with the front four, and hopefully it will be better bit by bit. I think it’s fair to say, I can’t remember the amount of games we played, but there have definitely been some good games and good spells where we have been looking very good, so we’ll keep working on it.”
Randal Kolo Muani has now played a couple of matches as a reserve attacker after coming back from a severe dead leg earlier in the season, and Frank said that he expects his minutes to continue to increase going forward.
“He’s definitely getting closer. Now is the first time he’s had a sustained block of training and also some minutes. I think it’s also fair to say he’s not 100 per cent physically ready to be bombarding 90 minutes again and again. But he’s in a place where he can be used and that’s good news.”
Pape Sarr likewise has seen a reduction in minutes, though it’s hard to know whether that’s due to tactics, rotation, or Frank feeling like he has better options in midfield. When asked, Frank said Sarr is not injured, it’s just a coach’s decision.
“Yeah, there’s nothing wrong with him. He started probably the first six games, and I think he was a very, very good player for us. I think we, I can’t remember, there was maybe a minor situation where we rested him. But no, no, it’s just competition, other players, you know, done well, decisions from me. But in general, I’m happy with Pape. I’ve said that before, he was one of the players that impressed me the most and in the beginning of the season and he’s a very good player.“
Interestingly, Frank more or less directly addressed the recent midfield pairing of Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur, which has been somewhat effective defensively but led to the infamous “U-ball” pass maps. Frank seemed to admit that this was his decision, and it was made to try and maximize Spurs’ defensive solidity at a time when he’s playing young attackers or those fresh from an injury while they continue to develop over time.
“I think it’s always team effort, how we construct a team or how. In the end, it’s my final decision, of course. It’s a collective effort in terms of how we want to build up or how we want to create chances. I think both of them are more than capable of helping the team. And I think it’s one thing that is part of the game. The other part is, of course, how can we make sure we are strong and solid enough if we are in a spell where we may be. The team is not as free-floating as we want it to be because of new players getting, how can you say, gelled together, getting it more smooth, more free. How can we make sure that if that’s not working, how can we make sure we are super solid and still building? So that’s part of the puzzle.
“[Sarr, Archie Gray & Lucas Bergvall haven’t started] probably because I thought the other bits were the right players to pick for the day. Of course, I’m looking into every aspect to try to do everything I can to maximize the performance and us playing. First and foremost, maximize performance. And what I think is the best way we can try to get results, of course. But also make sure we play as good as possible. And I’m, in general, been overall happy with both Joao and Rodri.”
While that answer does suggest he thinks “Bentinha / Palhintancur” is the best way to set up his team right now, it notably leaves the door open for Frank to change things down the road as players return or improve. I’m still (clearly) not a fan of this current setup and the football it generates, but it certainly suggests that this is a deliberate decision by Frank to set up his squads this way. We’ll see if it continues.
Tottenham kick off against Everton on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. BST (DST ends in the UK this Sunday!).
