Tottenham and Richarlison got their Premier League campaign off to a perfect start with a 3-0 win against Burnley on Saturday afternoon.
Despite the comfortable scoreline, Thomas Frank’s side were made to work for the win, especially in the first half.
However, a Richarlison double put the Lilywhites in command, before Brennan Johnson rounded out the scoring.
Brennan Johnson scores Tottenham's third goal of the game against Burnley.
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Here are TBR Football’sfive key takeaways from the game, starting with the enigmatic Brazilian.
Richarlison could play a vital role for Tottenham this season
Coming into the 2025/26 season, there were some doubts about Richarlison’s future in North London.
The Brazilian only scored four Premier League goals last term, and his pre-season form hadn’t done much to change Tottenham fans’ minds that he should be sold.
While rumours of a Richarlison exit still swirl, the 28-year-old could not have got off to a better start this season.
Filling in for Dominic Solanke as the Englishman is eased back into action, Richarlison’s display against Burnley was a superb all round striker’s performance, featuring two brilliant finishes.
Richarlison scores his second goal of the game in Tottenham's Premier League win against Burnley.
Photo by Shaun Brooks – CameraSport via Getty Images
It means he could yet play an important part for Tottenham this campaign. Failing that, his two goals will enable Daniel Levy to generate even more money for him, if he is to be sold.
Tottenham need more creativity before the transfer window closes
While a positive result, Tottenham’s performance against Burnley highlighted the well-known issue that the Lilywhites need more creativity.
Starting with a midfield three of Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray and Pape Sarr, there was plenty of endeavour shown by Frank’s side, but not a great deal of guile.
Pape Matar Sarr of Tottenham Hotspur challenges Hannibal Mejbri of Burnley during the two sides' Premier League match.
Photo by Shaun Brooks – CameraSport via Getty Images
To this end, Tottenham’s increasing links with Eberechi Eze are positive.
Similarly, Frank’s pursuit of Savinho will also help in this department.
Should both players be brought to the club, it will give the Danish manager more options and greater squad depth as he attempts to compete on four fronts.
Lucas Bergvall proves Tottenham’s long throws are here to stay
In Tottenham’s game against PSG, Frank deployed a weapon he used often while at Brentford: the long throw.
Using a back five in the UEFA Super Cup Final, it was Kevin Danso who shouldered this responsibility.
Reverting to a back four against Burnley, Danso was dropped to the bench.
Yet the long throw remained a feature of Tottenham’s play, as Lucas Bergvall stepped up to launch the ball into the box whenever he could.
It showed that regardless of system, Tottenham will likely continue to use the long throw as another method with which to hurt teams.
Thomas Frank is happy to change it up tactically
The aforementioned change to a back four against Burnley following the back five used against PSG is another thing learned, and another positive.
Last season, Ange Postecoglou received a lot of criticism for his failure to change his tactical set-up and be more pragmatic, especially as Tottenham were decimated by injuries.
That is a marked change to Thomas Frank, who, despite criticism from Paul Merson, has already used two different systems in his first two games in charge in North London.
This should make Tottenham harder to beat, as proven by their performance against PSG across the 90 minutes on Wednesday.
Indeed, Tottenham fans were full of praise for Frank after the Super Cup Final, meaning this adaptability and pragmatism is likely to be something they will support.
Thomas Frank needs time to stamp his authority on Tottenham
Finally, while the result was a convincing one, the performance against Burnley wasn’t as free-flowing as Frank would have liked.
In the first half, for example, Burnley had 10 shots to Tottenham’s five, causing some angst at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Per BBC Sport’s match coverage, between the 12th minute and half-time, Tottenham also failed to have a shot.
It shows that Frank still has work to do to implement what he wants as he settles into his role.
This will come with time, though, provided the Dane is given it.