Thomas Frank, the current manager of Tottenham Hotspur, has recently come under fire for his team's performance. However, he remains steadfast in his commitment to offensive football and dismisses the criticism as irrelevant.
At 52 years old, Thomas Frank is quickly realizing that managing a team like Tottenham Hotspur comes with its unique set of challenges. The pressure and expectations are significantly higher than what he experienced during his tenure at Brentford.
The media has been particularly critical of him in recent days for what they perceive as a negative approach to football. Some pundits have even questioned whether Frank is capable of coaching a team to play on the front foot. Following Tottenham’s 4-1 loss in the North London derby, former Swiss international Ramon Vega concluded that Frank was not an appropriate fit for Spurs. He accused him of being gutless and limited while also suggesting that he had lost control over the dressing room.
Ignoring the critics
Frank’s predecessor at Spurs, Ange Postecoglou, was known for his combative responses to critics during press conferences. However, unlike Postecoglou who often bit back at critics publicly, Frank insists on ignoring them altogether.
When asked about Vega's claims and other similar criticisms levelled against him by Football.London reporters recently, he dismissed them outrightly without giving any further attention or credence to these allegations.
Thomas Frank, Tottenham manager, said:
“I have 100% not seen it, because I don’t read anything. “[My press officer] will let me know if there is anything that is valuable for me to know. “One thing for sure, when I walked into this club, all I knew besides we would lose football matches was that I would be criticised. So I literally don’t care what they say. I listen to the trusted people that know me, close to me and others, the only thing I’d say is that it is slightly easier to be on the outside.”
“I think everyone has seen my games over all the years I’ve been in charge, no matter if it was when I was with the under-eights team in Frederiksværk 30 years ago or now, I want to play offensive, front-footed football. But probably also in those 30 years they could pick games from the under-eights at Frederiksværk to Brentford where it didn’t work for whatever reason.
In response to these criticisms about his style and approach towards football management at Spurs', Thomas launched a passionate defence stating that all teams under his leadership have always played offensive football aimed at creating chances and scoring goals. He clarified that contrary to popular belief following their loss in the North London derby; their game plan was not to sit back. He further explained that his team's performance against PSG was much more in line with how he wants them to play.
Thomas Frank added:
“It didn’t work Sunday against Arsenal. The plan was to be front-footed. We weren’t. And that we adjusted. After Sunday, I was angry, pained, hurt. [In Paris] I was irritated, but the feeling in the body was better because we really, really, really competed. There was more of the identity I want to show.”
Despite the criticism and pressure, Thomas Frank remains committed to his offensive football philosophy. His focus is on improving Tottenham's performance and creating a team that plays aggressive, goal-oriented football. Whether this approach will win over critics or lead Spurs to success remains to be seen.
