Tottenham by Thomas Frank: Super Cup has shown a set, long balls and pressure – but flexibility will also be key | Football news
Tottenham making sure to lose tracks of two goals in the match and the penalty shot in their super cup defeat could be tempting for some to consider this as the “same old spurs”. But it was different. Thomas Frank’s fingerprints were everywhere in performance.
The New Tottenham Boss did not obtain the result he wanted against Paris Saint-Germain. The boost of silverware in his very first competitive game in charge would have been a huge moment for him. But there can be no birth that his ideas were obvious.
Frank’s own assessment that “the operation was a success but the patient is dead” seemed right. Tactics were largely justified. Even Luis Enrique said they deserved to win, only for PSG to show their true quality late and remove the trophy.
“What mentality throughout the game. Lots of things to be happy.” It was Frank’s verdict. What will be fascinating to see is how much he changed these tactics since it is Burnley then before traveling to face Manchester City the following week.
It should provide an early overview of Frank’s flexibility.
The sets can be the strength of the spurs
His influences in Udine were both manifest and subtle. More obviously, there were the two goals of the sets. The two scores of central defenders could not have been more perfect since it was a characteristic of its success in Brentford, almost proving a brand.
No team in the Premier League has scored more goals than Frank’s bees last season. They had the quality of the highest sets in the sets and a conversion rate in second place only in Liverpool. Brentford also conceded the least goals per set.
Frank has long understood that these “cheap” goals can be the marginal gains that make the difference and that there will be supporters of Tottenham who will appreciate this attention to details because the ingredients are there so that it is also a major weapon for the Spurs.
Nine of the starting alignment against PSG measured more than six feet. “We knew it was an area where we could hurt PSG and worked very hard on it.” He spoke of a “great accent on the sets of all areas on the ground” and stressed that he would continue to do so.
The opener came from a free kick won near the line halfway and pumped towards the distant post of Guglielmo Vicario. Frank likes to create overloads and it should be noted that the Spurs were looking for the free man on the back. It worked for their second goal.
While Frank spoke of going “a little more directly”, the reality is that this represents a more fundamental change for the Spurs, one has alluded when he became clear that Kevin Daro had won the long -term competition in training. He took them by right And left in Udine.
Changing Vicario’s strengths has the change
But nothing illustrates the change more clearly than the instructions given to Vicario. Tottenham d’Ange Postcoglou played the least long passes from all the Premier League teams last season – sticking to this, whatever the staff or the opposition.
Tottenham goalkeepers rarely hit the ball on a long postcoglou last season
Consequently, the two goalkeepers to play the least 90 minutes in the competition both played for Tottenham – Fraser Forster going for a long time than Vicario. But the Italian passes map against PSG has shown that there was a different approach.
Guglielmo Vicario’s passes map for Tottenham against Paris Saint-Germain in the Super Cup
The side of Luis Enrique also likes to press that their tactics include the start of the ball on the field from just shipping so that they can box in the opponent. Frank wanted his team to bypass this, flying PSG of this opportunity, and that worked for a large part of the match.
Adapt to stronger opponents
This ability to adapt is a great reason why Frank is in work, of course. The incapacity for Postcoglou to do so was a factor to concede 65 goals last quarter, the most by Spurs in more than 30 years and their plus in a season of 38 games since the First World War.
Tottenham’s record against stronger teams was particularly appalling last season, losing 14 of his 16 Premier League games against teams that finished in the top eight. It was more than Leicester and Ipswich and even as much as Bottom Club Southampton.
Going to a 5-3-2 form, something he has also done in Brentford, suggests that there is a model for these games now. He decided it after losing 4-0 against Bayern Munich in pre-season. “I knew we had to do something a little different against PSG,” he said.
The big question that remains is how Frank adjusts the style against the lower opposition. An index will come on Saturday when the spurs face Burnley. Responsible for breaking the team with the best defense in England last season, it should be a very different test.
This is the kind of game for which James Maddison or, he dares, Morgan Gibbs-White or Ebelechi Eze, could be particularly useful for choosing this pass to unlock things. Without them, he has the potential to be an awkward opener given the execution time.
New approach necessary against Burnley
But Frank can have a new tactical plan. This has been the case since his Brentford was promoted to the Premier League via the playoffs in 2021 to modify their approach during the promotion and survive comfortably, while the first two of the previous season in the championship – Norwich and Watford – were both relegated.
Even last season, Brentford spent a higher proportion of time in a low block than any other team – and yet managed to rank among the three best teams for the possession won in the last third. He can empty the switch by pressing on and defending deeply.
There was evidence of this against PSG because for all the pressure that the winners of the Champions League were able to assert in the final stages, there were also examples of spurs that after them. “The high pressure is non -negotiable,” said Frank.
This could be seen in the efforts of Joao Palhinha, Rodrigo Bentancur and in particular Pope Sarr, the midfielder’s trio showing great enthusiasm to force large PSG and support the wings to cut the crosses. If the three had stayed, the Spurs may have won.
For those who went to Italy, this lament can linger. But as Frank himself said, he only allows himself 24 hours to wallow after a defeat. “I will make sure the players are ready and come to fly on Saturday.” Don’t be shocked if tactics change.
