Thomas Frank has admitted that the result against Tottenham Hotspur was huge for him and the team, given the speculation in the media leading upto the game.
At one point, it seemed as if Frank was almost certain to leave following Tottenham’s loss against West Ham on Saturday.
However, the club made the decision to stick with the Dane for the Dortmund clash, and it is fair to say that the call was not a popular one among large sections of the fan base.
In the end, it proved to be the right one as a severely depleted Spurs side made it four wins in four at home in the Champions League and absolved some of the pressure on Frank.
Thomas Frank opens up on big win for Tottenham
Reports indicate that Frank’s job is still not completely safe yet, but the Dane may have bought himself some time with the big win over Dortmund.
The Tottenham boss has said that he has always felt that everyone at the club was behind him, but admitted that it is now about building on the win on Tuesday.
When asked if the team proved to the club’s hierarchy that he was worth sticking with, Frank said (via Football.London): “I think it’s about the team and everything, but of course, I understand the question. What I feel the whole time is that I feel the staff is with us, I think the players are with us, the ownership, everyone wants the same thing, and we’re on the same page.
“We do a lot of things in the right direction, and today was a big performance and a big win. Of course, I’m very aware of that, but I’m also very aware that this we have done this and we need to keep that consistency and of course, turn that a little bit.
“As I say, some of the other games we easily could have won, now we need to build on this. And I just see a team that is running very, very hard and I think that’s a very, very good sign. That’s a healthy sign of a culture and we are building something a little bit step by step. We can easily have got better results the last three games, we just didn’t, but we’re running hard.”
When asked if he would allow himself a drink after the win against Dortmund, the 52-year-old responded: “I think two big glasses of red will be necessary, I will enjoy that.”
Frank sets sight on a top-eight finish in the Champions League
The win over Dortmund takes Tottenham upto fourth place in the table and ensures that the club will head into their final league phase against Eintracht Frankfurt next week in the top eight.
Frank admitted that automatic qualification to the round of 16 is the aim for Spurs, but made it clear that his and the players’ focus now fully shifts to the Burnley clash on Saturday.
When asked how important a top-eight finish is for Tottenham, the former Brentford boss responded: “No, I think it’s important that, of course, it’s always the next game that is the most important one, so we need to perform and win against Burnley on Saturday.
“After that, of course, I know we have Frankfurt, and we need to do everything we can to make sure we finish top-eight because that will mean that you have two games less. Also I think it’s fair to say we have a few injuries, so to not only to have a little more rest, but mainly also to be able to train with the players and try to implement more principles and ideas.”