It has been claimed by a journalist that Thomas Frank did not share what he really thought about Tottenham’s performance at the Emirates within the post-match interview.
While Spurs fans have seen their side lose heavily at the Emirates Stadium in the past, they would have never watched a performance as tepid as the one the Lilywhites produced on Sunday.
Tottenham failed to even throw a punch in the big derby, with Spurs registering an xG of just 0.07 in their biggest game of the season so far.
Frank refused to answer some difficult questions about Tottenham’s performance in his post-match press conference, and one journalist has now shed light on why that is the case.
Arsenal were too good for Tottenham
Miguel Delaney wrote in his Inside Football newsletter for The Independent that there was some sympathy for Frank after his side’s 4-1 drubbing, even from their rivals.
Some staff who were watching his post-game interviews, where the 52-year-old decided to focus on his side’s inability to win ‘duels’, felt that he was in a tough spot.
Delaney asserts that the belief in the Arsenal and Spurs camp is that Frank could not say what he really thought due to fear of tribal backlash.
The Dane allegedly felt that Arsenal were basically too good on the night and that Spurs could not get close to them.
“There was even some sympathy for Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank. Some staff were watching his post-game interviews after the 4-1 defeat, where the Dane repeatedly spoke about how his side too easily lost “duels”.
“The belief within the Arsenal camp – echoed by some close to Spurs – was that he couldn’t say what he actually thought, for fear of the tribal backlash. That was that Arsenal were basically too good. Spurs couldn’t get close to them.”
Spurs should have gone down fighting
Most, if not all, Tottenham fans are accepting of the fact that Arsenal are well ahead of their side and that there is a gulf in class between the clubs.
However, the concern of Spurs supporters is the ultra-defensive and negative approach. They would have accepted a 4-1 loss if their side had actually gone down swinging and tried to take the game to their rivals.
That is exactly what Ange Postecoglou’s side did at the Emirates over the last two years, and they more than held their own.