Thomas Frank is facing the heat after a humiliating North London derby defeat and it is about to get worse – because the Nuno Espirito Santo comparisons are coming out!
Tottenham Hotspur supporters were left divided by the decision to sack Ange Postecoglou, but it was hoped Thomas Frank would bring unity and get the team back on track.
The Danish manager made a good first impression with Spurs supporters in his opening competitive fixtures. He almost masterminded a UEFA Super Cup victory against the champions of Europe and proceeded to record wins over Burnley and Manchester City.
What then followed was a shock 1-0 defeat at home to Bournemouth and that level of performance by Tottenham has gone on to be seen all too often under Frank.
Thomas Frank has a worse win percentage at Tottenham than Nuno Santo
Being the manager of Spurs is a position which comes with a lot of pressure and it does not usually take much for a struggling boss to be shown the door.
Nuno Santo was fired after just 17 matches, following a 3-0 defeat to Manchester United where his side failed to land a single shot on target. In total, the man who secured European football for Nottingham Forest last season won eight of his 17 matches at Tottenham.
This means he actually won a higher percentage of his matches at the club than Frank has up to this point. The current Spurs manager has won the same number of games as Santo did, but he has overseen two additional fixtures.
Tottenham have suffered one fewer defeats in the Premier League under Frank, but trail league leaders Arsenal by 11 points. Santo’s team were only 10 points behind top of the table Chelsea when he was sacked.
Spurs are struggling in attack
Frank’s Tottenham team have scored 20 goals in 12 league matches, which is actually a decent tally. It is certainly superior to the nine goals scored in 10 fixtures under Santo.
However, chance creation is a big concern for Spurs and this is reflected by the xG metric. Tottenham recorded their lowest xG on record against Chelsea earlier this month and they managed to go even lower against Arsenal.
Of course, Santo had Harry Kane at his disposal, but Frank is shooting himself in the foot by choosing to continue with a midfield pairing of Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur. It is simply too negative and is keeping Spurs from getting the ball forwards.
Frank must make changes at Tottenham to survive
If Frank wishes to avoid suffering the same fate as Santo, he needs to try something different and change the mentality of his players. Giving him more time is only going to hurt Spurs in the long-run if the 52-year-old continues to stick with the same tactics.
Ange Postecoglou was kept in a job because his team were making progress in the Europa League. For Frank to remain at Tottenham, he either needs to sort out their performances in the Premier League, or do something special in the Champions League. With PSG next up in Europe, the former point is probably the better option.