Thomas Frank has weighed in on Archie Gray and Guglielmo Vicario’s roles in the first goal Tottenham conceded against Nottingham Forest.
Spurs fans have seen the script that played out at the City Ground many times already this season.
Their side looked lost for ideas in possession, while individual mistakes at the back cost them dearly, with Nottingham Forest emerging as deserved 3-0 winners.
The loss and the performance have offset the little momentum that Tottenham had built with their back-to-back wins against Brentford and Slavia Prague, with the pressure now mounting on Thomas Frank once again.
Thomas Frank claims Archie Gray will learn from Tottenham mistake
Vicario played the ball into Gray’s feet for Forest’s first goal, with the ball being pinched off the Spurs midfielder after he decided to take a touch.
Frank insisted that the 19-year-old should have played a first-time pass and suggested that it would be a learning experience for the youngster.
When asked about Gray’s mistake, Frank said (via Football.London): “Yeah, you know, that happens. I’ve said before, mistakes happen, stuff like that. Of course, I’ll be irritated about it because you like to avoid it, but he will learn.
“I think it was a classic thing, you see, week in, week out. It’s ball-playing to one of the two sitters. Bounce it up, first touch, not take a touch. He will learn from that. I’m pretty sure he’ll use one touch next time.”
When asked if he holds Vicario responsible for the pass into Gray, the Tottenham boss responded: “No. I think you see that every week in the Premier League, from every team, all over the world. So there’s no problem with that.”
Frank wants Spurs players to be more focused
That was not the only unforced error that Tottenham made in the game, with Spurs players giving the ball time and again.
Frank admitted that his players need to remain calm on the pitch and that they cannot afford to lose focus in key moments.
When quizzed on asking Pedro Porro to calm down a couple of times from the sidelines, the 52-year-old responded: “I think that’s two small situations. I think in general, no matter what, to have that coolness on the pitch and relentless concentration and focus, that’s a big thing of being a top team.”