Tottenham Hotspur suffered a 4-1 defeat away from home to Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, with Thomas Frank’s side a place above the bottom half of the table.
Let’s take a look at the five things we learned:
Thomas Frank got his tactical setup wrong against Arsenal
A 4-1 defeat to any side is always a difficult one to swallow, let alone to your bitter rivals, Arsenal.
It is a win that now puts the Gunners in pole position for the Premier League title, and after today’s performance, if there was any dream of Tottenham entering the title race, it has pretty much died.
The focus for Spurs has to be on themselves, the manager and most importantly, the tactics.
Thomas Frank got it wrong today, as his five at the back setup, which was supposed to help his side sit deep and soak up pressure against Mikel Arteta’s team, failed badly.
Arsenal were always going to come out with serious intent to press and take the game to Tottenham, and Spurs could not deal with that.
The basics were all wrong, with players often resorting to hoofing the ball long, and so many passes going astray whenever Tottenham attempted to build from the back.
Frank then reverted things in the second forty-five by going with a back four, yet there was still no improvement as it took a halfway strike by Richarlison for Tottenham to get on the scoresheet.
Questions have already been asked about Frank’s tactics, and today’s showing once more inspired little confidence.
Daniel Levy’s stubbornness comes back to haunt as Eberechi Eze shines
Tottenham fans must have been shaking their heads as they watched their side put on that dismal display.
Indeed, there were so many reasons to be disappointed, but one would certainly have been Eberechi Eze bagging a hat-trick against Spurs.
The Arsenal playmaker was so close to joining Tottenham last summer, but Spurs’ inability to pay what Crystal Palace wanted saw the Gunners come in and swoop in.
In classic Tottenham fashion, it was the very same player who ran a sword through them, punishing each of their mistakes, including the 67 million pound mistake that Daniel Levy made when he failed to get the deal done in time.
Spurs players lacked passion in North London derby
We can sit all day and rant about tactics and how Frank did not set his team up well, but these players must shoulder part of the responsibility.
Sunday evening was a toothless display, with the Tottenham players showing little fight or passion as they chased the game.
Second duels were lost, they were outrun, and they could not even stick to the game plan. A few players, however, looked a bit up to it.
Destiny Udogie did his bit against Bukayo Saka, Joao Palhinha was the best player in the second half and left his soul out there as he tried to win tackles, and Guglielmo Vicario pulled off some decent saves, but his distribution remains far from good enough at this level.
In derby games like this, fans simply want to see fight and passion and if you are going to lose, then do so with pride.
The Lewis family must strengthen squad in the next two windows
Of course, Tottenham need to move on quickly from this defeat, and there is a lot to be learned from results like this, even though it can be hard to take.
A big takeaway is simple: quality players are needed if Tottenham are to compete at the top level.
The winter window and the summer window in the coming months are going to be very important for Tottenham if they are to close the gap between themselves and Arsenal.
The Lilywhites have hardly competed against their rivals since the departure of the likes of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son, and if they are to do so again, they need world-class players.
It is over to the Lewis family to bring out the chequebook, while Fabio Paratici and Johan Lange work on bringing in the best possible additions.
A new goalkeeper is being rumoured, and one who can help with build-up is very crucial. A wide forward is needed, especially on the left, and a lethal centre forward who can hold up play and run in behind will be crucial as well.
Spurs face PSG in the Champions League next
A 4-1 defeat against Arsenal, who are not custodians of any silverware in the last five seasons, is bad enough, but Tottenham have the champions of Europe up next in the Champions League.
It is hard to see how Spurs can secure a victory in that tie, especially after today’s display.
Of course, one could say the last time these two sides met, Tottenham gave PSG a run for their money, but that was a PSG side coming back from holiday.
It could get uglier in midweek, and the pressure on Frank will only increase from then on.