Two weeks before the clash with BVB, the mood surrounding Tottenham Hotspur could hardly be worse. In the 2-3 defeat in Bournemouth, coach Thomas Frank also got himself into trouble.
With a smooth 3-0 win over the stable newcomers AFC Sunderland, Brentford FC climbed to fifth place in the Premier League, and it would not be surprising if Thomas Frank looked at the table with a touch of melancholy on Wednesday evening. While his long-time club is gaining momentum despite the painful upheaval in the summer, he himself has not advanced Tottenham Hotspur one bit.
Fourteenth place after 21 match days is exactly the same result that his predecessor Ange Postecoglou achieved last season. The Spurs have won only two of their last eleven league games, and on Wednesday they gave crisis-stricken AFC Bournemouth their first three points since October 26. And then Frank made a memorable faux pas.
Before kick-off, Frank was photographed in the stadium with a cardboard coffee cup bearing the logo of Tottenham’s arch-rivals Arsenal. Apparently, the league leaders had left it behind during their visit to Vitality Stadium four days earlier (3-2), and a member of staff had then carelessly handed it to Frank.
Frank: “I would never do something so stupid”
“I definitely didn’t notice it,” Frank assured when asked about the spectacular mishap after the 2-3 defeat. “It would have been completely stupid of me to take it if I had known about it. I would never do something so stupid.” It was understandable that he found it “a bit sad” to even be asked about it, but he must also know that this photo was the last thing he needed in his current situation. The shitstorm began immediately.
Although his Spurs did not disappoint in Bournemouth, they once again proved too harmless in front of goal against a severely weakened opponent and were left with no points after Antoine Semenyo’s farewell gift in the 95th minute—the Cherries’ top scorer is moving to Manchester City for €74 million.
Once again, the Spurs players had to endure the anger of the visiting fans after the final whistle. The mood among the Europa League title holders could hardly be worse, with just under two weeks to go before their Champions League home game against Borussia Dortmund (January 20, 9 p.m.). “It hurts us all, including the fans, that’s only natural,” said Frank sympathetically.
And Joao Palhinha, who equalized for Spurs in the 78th minute with a magnificent overhead kick, appealed: “Keep supporting us, because the wins will come.” It was Tottenham, not Bournemouth, who deserved the win, according to the Bayern loanee: “We were the only team on the pitch who wanted to win.”
But because that failed once again, the pressure on Frank continues to grow. The fact that there is finally a whole week’s break after Saturday’s FA Cup clash with Aston Villa (6:45 p.m.) gives him the chance to realign his team—or his bosses to react. It would fit in with this turbulent Premier League January.
