Thomas Frank has opened up on Tottenham no longer having the world-class duo of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son to bail them out.
On the face of it, an away draw in the Champions League is certainly not a bad result, but it arrives on the back of a series of poor performances from Tottenham, where they struggled to create chances.
Even though Thomas Frank was grilled about his side’s lack of creativity in midfield prior to the game, the Dane persisted with a double-pivot of Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha in France.
It failed to work once again, with Spurs having Guglielmo Vicario to thank for managing to emerge with a point from Monaco.
Thomas Frank admits Tottenham squad is a work in progress
Over the last decade, Spurs have always had Harry Kane and Heung-min Son to bail themselves out in tight games like the one yesterday.
The Tottenham boss acknowledged that the current squad does not have those kinds of superstars, stating that it is his job to get the best out of what he has at his disposal.
When asked if it is a problem that the Lilywhites do not have Kane or Son to bail them out, Frank said (via the club’s official website): “Yes, that’s fair to say. We have Wilson Odobert, who I think is a very, very good talent, and I think he’s been positive, but of course, he is taking his step into the Premier League and the Champions League.
“With other players also, with Xavi just coming to the club, Lucas a young player, Kudus has been exceptional for us, but also played more or less every minute, so we lacked maybe that little extra spark today.
“Kolo Muani, who we believe can make a difference, I think he looked positive when he came on, but had that injury, so of course, there’s some of that, no complaints, it is what it is. It’s my job to get the most out of the players available.”
Spurs register a two-and-a-half-year first under Frank
Tottenham registered a 0-0 draw for the first time in two and a half years against Monaco, having not done so since March of 2023.
There was not a single goalless draw in Ange Postecoglou’s time at the club, and the perception was that the Lilywhites were too open under the Australian.
Tottenham seem to have the opposite problem under Frank, as evidenced by the fact that this was the first time since May that Monaco have managed a clean sheet.