Thomas Frank is pleased with his Tottenham Hotspur side despite PSG loss.
Thomas Frank is pleased with his Tottenham Hotspur side despite PSG loss.
Thomas Frank is pleased with his Tottenham Hotspur side despite PSG loss
After a deflating performance against Arsenal in the North London Derby, few Tottenham fans expected their side to show much fight when they travelled to face PSG. But credit where it’s due. For the first hour at the Parc des Princes, the Lilywhites were on top against the reigning Champions League winners, showing real intent in the final third.
The North Londoners took a deserved lead through Richarlison in the 35th minute, following excellent link-up play between Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray on the left flank. PSG, however, refused to fold and equalised just before the break. Spurs were on cloud nine again when Randal Kolo Muani scored his first goal for the club shortly after half-time, but Luis Enrique’s side responded once more thanks to Vitinha’s brilliance.
Thomas Frank is pleased with his Tottenham Hotspur side despite PSG loss.
Thomas Frank learnt from his mistakes as Tottenham went toe-to-toe against PSG in the UCL.
A poor 12-minute spell then saw the Lilywhites concede three goals due to defensive sloppiness, allowing Vitinha to complete his hat-trick. Thomas Frank’s side still made the game interesting by pulling another goal back through Kolo Muani, but it wasn’t enough in the end as their unbeaten Champions League run came to an end in the City of Light.
Thomas Frank’s Tottenham heading in the right direction despite defeat against PSG
Many questions were raised when Thomas Frank chose to bench several key players for the match against PSG. But it’s fair to say the Danish coach got his game plan right. His side adopted a 4-2-2-2 shape that allowed them to outplay the French champions for the first hour. More than the result, what mattered most was the performance, and to Frank’s credit, his team delivered. Tottenham were unlucky not to come away with something from the Parc des Princes.
Frank said he was pleased with the display, noting that his team went toe-to-toe with one of Europe’s best for long stretches. Speaking in his post-match presser, he told TNT Sports,
“I am very pleased with the performance. Today was much more the identity of the team, the bravery and aggressiveness of the team. There were lots of positives, the two strikers scoring three goals between them, the whole team performed really well.”
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The Spurs boss added,
“The performance was to get something out of the game but then you need to have the margins with you but we can’t concede some of the goals we did.”
As Frank rightly highlighted, the key takeaway was the way his team performed against PSG. Tottenham played with a clear identity and adopted a direct approach, allowing their forwards to get on the ball more often, which ultimately led to three goals from their centre-forwards. However, the defensive errors proved costly and denied them a result, which was a major disappointment.
Despite the 5-3 defeat, fans will feel far more positive about the direction of the team. Spurs will now look to replicate the same intensity in the Premier League next weekend. Their next test comes at home against Fulham, and it is essential that Frank sets up his side to play direct, attacking football once again. Anything less than three points will feel underwhelming after setting such high standards against PSG.