Gary Lineker suggests Tottenham star can’t do basic things correctly in his position

Tottenham’s brief unbeaten run under Thomas Frank came to an abrupt end at home to Aston Villa last Sunday, with pundit Gary Lineker expressing concern over a star in a key role.

Tottenham’s lack of creativity worries Thomas Frank

Spurs made an excellent start to the game against Villa when midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur, who recently signed a brand new contract, opened the scoring five minutes from time, feeding off a cutback from midfield partner Joao Palhinha to give Spurs the lead.

However, it was as good as it could be on Frank’s side.

Tottenham failed to convince throughout the match, ultimately paying the price against a well-organized Villa side, with summer signing Xavi Simons criticized as Spurs lacked a creative spark.

Since the delay, the Lilywhites have struggled to create clear chances. Tottenham’s attackers, particularly on the counter-attack when one of Palhinha or Bentancur won the ball in front of Villa, lacked that edge to create anything of note.

Ultimately, Frank’s midfield failed to provide the necessary service to Spurs’ front line, leaving them deprived of quality opportunities.

As the north Londoners battled to a 2-1 win at Leeds before the international break, there were major signs that Tottenham simply needed to improve in the attacking areas.

They were very lucky to earn draws against Wolves and Bodo/Glimt before traveling to Elland Road, but Spurs’ luck proved against Villa, who stole all three points in N17 thanks to a wonder goal from Emiliano Buendia.

Especially after Tottenham’s loss to Villa, their lack of momentum in the final third is starting to become a real concern, if it wasn’t already.

Concerns surround Richarlison’s ability to lead the line, while Dominic Solanke’s bad luck with an ankle injury, which required minor surgery, has limited the England international to just 49 minutes of action this season.

While Simons is always up to speed, Frank sorely lacks the attacking quality of Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison. He hopes to return to the former as soon as possible, with Kulusevski having been unable to feature since injuring his knee against Crystal Palace last season.

Tottenham face a tough trip to AS Monaco in the Champions League next, and Frank will have a key decision to make over who will start up front, if Solanke is not fit enough to make his long-awaited return.

Gary Lineker says Mathys Tel can’t do basic things right in Tottenham striker role

If Solanke proves unable to start against Monaco, Spurs could again turn to Mathys Tel as their number nine.

Tel received the nod from Frank against Leeds and Villa, opening the scoring at Elland Road, but was largely isolated and ineffective against Unai Emery’s side at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Once tipped to eventually score 40 goals a season by Julian Nagelsmann, the Frenchman may still have a way to go before realizing that prediction, and Lineker has revealed a key flaw in his game.

Speaking on the Rest is Football podcast this week (via GiveMeSport), Lineker says Tel can’t do one fundamental thing correctly in the Tottenham attacking role – namely that he lacks the natural runs in behind to overcome the offside trap.

Ange Postecoglou played a key role in convincing the 20-year-old to join Spurs from Bayern Munich last January, thanks to an initial loan which former chairman Daniel Levy renegotiated and guaranteed permanently for £30million.

While the Lilywhites have worked hard to sign Tel, he has only accumulated six goals (four goals, two assists) in 28 appearances so far.

However, it is essential to remember that the ex-Rennes sensation is still very young and Tottenham will be counting on Tel to reach his full potential after flashes of true genius at Bayern.