When Thomas Frank brought Brentford up a level into the Premier League, one of his three priorities was to make his team incredibly strong at the back.
Arriving at Tottenham and stepping back up a level to the Champions League he is at it again and left the arena after a 1-0 victory against Villarreal with an arm clasped around captain Cristian Romero, the embodiment of the Frank’s appetite to defend.
If it was a back-to-basics operation after two years of Spurs feasting on the cavalier style of Ange Postecoglou then it is going well.
Thomas Frank has made a strong start to life as Tottenham manager since taking over
Strong at the back
A clean sheet was the big positive against Villarreal. Spurs were not fluent. Far from it. They won with a freakish own goal and managed only one shot on target. They survived pressure in the second half.
But they have now conceded only once in five games. And Frank did not try to hide his delight, gushing proudly about the bedrock of foundations and togetherness.
And how winning tight games like these against quality opponents, and when not in top form can ‘add layers’ to the team building process.
His defensive unit looks strong, and the head coach has applauded coach Matt Wells for his work in this area.
They hold a deeper line, and the full backs are more orthodox. Pedro Porro is far more selective about when to break out and join the attack as he did so freely under Postecoglou.
The space Porro left behind became the key area for opponents to target as they plotted Tottenham’s downfall.
Frank showed his appreciation to Cristian Romero – the eptiome of his new-look side
The balancing act
Spurs are understandably less secure without Palhinha screening the centre halves and the midfield trio is the area where Frank tweaks to fine tune the balance between security and creativity.
He flexes from one holding midfielder to two depending on opposition.
Against Bournemouth, the only defeat of the season, he opted for Palhinha with Rodrigo Bentancur holding and Pape Matar Sarr in a more advanced central role.
It is his most powerful trio off the ball, with Palhinha’s destructive instinct and Bentancur’s vision and passing combined with Sarr’s tireless running.
This combination had worked well in the Super Cup in games where low levels of possession might be expected against Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City, but Spurs were less effective using it against Bournemouth, unable to zip passes out of defence through the high press and wanting for creativity.
Frank has since added Xavi Simons to his options and turned to Lucas Bergvall, new darling of the Spurs faithful, who scored his first Premier League goal at West Ham on Saturday and who forced the only goal against Villarreal, albeit via a dreadful mistake by goalkeeper Luiz Junior who pushed his cross into the net.
Still there were times when Spurs struggled to play through Villarreal and in the end manned the barricades, threw on a third centre half and defended their lead. Balance is the issue. As it always is in these situations. And will be going forward.
But the Dane faces a dilemma moving forwards – how does he balance his midfield options
Creative forces…
Have been hit and miss. Probably not where Frank would want them against Bournemouth, the only time Spurs have failed to score in six games, or Villarreal, when they had only effort on target, a snapshot by Sarr from the edge of the penalty area, saved.
The overall absence of creativity has perhaps been masked by the strength from set pieces which has been a reliable goal threat, notably in the Super Cup against PSG and the win at West Ham.
This can be relied upon to continue, with set-piece expert Andreas Georgson transforming Spurs into a force from corners and long throws.
Set pieces will always be central to the Frank blueprint although creativity from open play remains a work in progress. Frank talked about partnerships on the flanks as he analysed the first Champions League performance.
He was pleased with the developing chemistry between Porro and Mohammed Kudus on the right.
Less so with Djed Spence and Xavi Simons but he insisted he wasn’t complaining – just calling for patience. Simons is a new addition and picking up rhythms.
It will be interesting though to see if Frank recalls fit-again Destiny Udogie to the team at left back as he searches for a more natural understanding with Simons.
Kudus has produced flashes of his talent and two assists against Burnley, without dominating a game. Bergvall adds the kind of panache the fans love to see at Tottenham and yet takes more risks on the ball.
These are the matters on Frank’s mind as he searches for the perfect blend.
