Joe Hart has made an interesting comment about the system that Tottenham Hotspur employed in their 5-3 Champions League loss to Paris Saint-Germain.
Frank has stuck with the 4-2-3-1 in most matches this season and has occasionally played five at the back, as he did at the Emirates last Sunday.
However, against PSG, the Tottenham boss used a new system, with the Lilywhites setting up in a 4-2-2-2 with a narrow midfield, while Randal Kolo Muani partnered Richarlison upfront.
Although Spurs ended up on the losing side, one can argue that the tactical change worked, given the fact that they held their own for large parts of the game.
Joe Hart claims Tottenham cannot play the same system against Fulham
The Lilywhites certainly looked a lot more aggressive and offered more going forward than they did in the North London derby, with Frank seeing plenty of positives in Tottenham’s performance against PSG.
However, Hart does not believe that the Dane can afford to play the same team at home against Fulham on Saturday.
The former Spurs goalkeeper suggested that two Tottenham players have to come back into Frank’s starting eleven against the Cottagers.
Hart told TNT Sports 3 (26/11/25): “I can’t see them (Tottenham) using it against Fulham, they’ve got to look to use their attacking players and their attacking flair, I think fair enough, maybe Newcastle away.
“I think teams accept that, when they’re coming up against it, but I don’t think the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will be ready for a defensive 4-4-2, and they need to be on that front foot on Saturday night.
“I think the likes of Kudus are going to be very important to get into the team, and they need to find a way to get Xavi Simons in.”
Thomas Frank will be relieved by Spurs’ improving injury situation
According to Transfermarkt, Tottenham have been the worst-hit side with injuries across Europe’s top five leagues this season.
That is perhaps one of the factors that have not been considered enough by pundits and fans while assessing Frank’s start to life at Tottenham.
With the likes of Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Destiny Udogie now fit, the Dane now has more options to rotate his squad and more Spurs players are expected to return from injury over the coming weeks.