Tottenham’s Troubles Explained After “Pathetic” Derby Defeat by Arsenal as Fans Turn on Thomas Frank

Tottenham Hotspur barely laid a glove on Arsenal as they were thrashed 4-1 at the Emirates Stadium in Thomas Frank’s first North London derby.

Spurs manager Frank said he was “super excited” and “very confident” before Sunday’s game. But his team certainly did not perform like a side full of confidence.

It took Tottenham 55 minutes to muster their first shot. It was a spectacular effort and resulted in Richarlison successfully lobbing David Raya from 35 yards.

But the game was already over by this point. Richarlison’s wonderstrike arrived after Leandro Trossard’s opener and two goals from Eberechi Eze, who would later become the first Arsenal scorer of a North London derby hat-trick since 1978.

Spurs fans turn on Thomas Frank after 4-1 loss at Arsenal

While the result was bad — Tottenham’s heaviest loss to Arsenal since 2012 — it was the performance that annoyed supporters even more.

Tottenham appeared to show zero attacking ambition in the first half, with Thomas Frank’s 5-4-1 system seemingly designed to frustrate Arsenal, rather than target any potential defensive vulnerability without Gabriel.

Frank switched to a 4-2-3-1 formation at half-time, but by then the damage had been done.

One disgruntled Spurs supporter tweeted after the game: “It’s obvious Frank doesn’t get what it means to be Tottenham manager. You can’t go into a derby scared.

“Fans will turn cause it’s a pathetic and embarrassing mentality. You show up and you give it a go, no matter the gap in quality. That’s the bare minimum in these games.”

A different fan pointed out how Spurs have gone from a recklessly all-out attacking side under former manager Ange Postecoglou to a team that seems incapable or maybe scared of going forward under Frank. Their message read: “We have done a 180 from the headless chickens we were last season.

“Now we can’t or won’t attack. Both versions of this team are awful and hard to watch.”

Many other fans called for Frank to leave, with one adding: “Unacceptable. He doesn’t get it. First Chelsea, now Arsenal. Rubbish rubbish rubbish.”

Tottenham’s xG against Arsenal was just 0.07

Tottenham’s lack of attacking edge on Sunday was brutally summed up by their Expected Goals (xG) total of just 0.07.

It was the lowest xG recorded by any Premier League team so far this season, while Spurs were also responsible for the second-lowest — a meagre 0.10 in their 1-0 home defeat by Chelsea earlier in November.

Tottenham have significantly out-performed their xG so far this season. They are fourth in the Premier League in terms of goals scored, despite being 15th in terms of xG.

Meanwhile — even after Sunday’s battering — Spurs have conceded just 14 goals so far, despite being on the receiving end of an xG of 17.14.

What is perhaps even more worrying is that Tottenham’s xG forecasts — both attacking and defensive — are currently worse than they were after 12 games of the 2024/25 season, which ended with Spurs finishing 17th in the Premier League.

Spurs are 10.4 xG worse off than they were at this stage last season in terms of Expected Goals for, and 4.7 worse off in terms of xG against.

Why are Spurs so toothless under Thomas Frank?

Identity crisis

Thomas Frank worked wonders at Brentford, where expectations were much lower than at Tottenham. Frank is a tactician who loves to base his approach on that of his opponents in an attempt to nullify their attacking threat and exploit any defensive weakness.

But many Spurs fans feel that he sometimes spends too much time trying to stop the opposition and not enough on his own side’s potential threat. On one hand, his frequent changes of formation suggest tactical flexibility, which is a good thing. On the other, they can create a lack of familiarity and players can look lost.

Too defensive

Tottenham were too defensive from the start of Sunday’s North London derby. They began the game with five defenders and two holding midfielders.

This allowed them to stop Arsenal scoring for all of 36 minutes, but it also ensured that the entire first half was defence vs attack. Spurs’ only attacking intent during the opening 45 minutes came from deep free-kicks booted into the penalty area by goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

When trying to play out from the back, Spurs were easily suffocated by Arsenal due to a lack of numbers ahead of the ball and a lack of players showing for a pass. The latter has been a recurring theme all season.

Joao Palhinha is one of the best destructive midfielders in the Premier League when it comes to his tackling, but he is not a player who is confident breaking lines with his passing. Meanwhile, not enough of Tottenham’s attacking players seem willing to come deep to link the play, resulting in too many aimless long balls.

Personnel issues

Tottenham’s problem when it comes to a lack of players with the ability to break lines is in part a result of injury issues. Crocked duo James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski are two of Tottenham’s most creative players. Maddison looks set to miss the entire season with a knee problem, while Kulusevski has also been sidelined with a knee injury but could soon return.

But Thomas Frank cannot simply blame injuries for the lack of flair in his starting XI on Sunday. It was his decision to leave £51.8 million summer signing Xavi Simons on the bench until half-time, while he also failed to utilise Lucas Bergvall, who remained an unused sub.

Spurs also have personnel issues further forward. Richarlison scored a stunning solo goal on Sunday but he also struggled to hold the ball up, which has been an issue all season. Tottenham’s main No 9 Dominic Solanke has been out since August with an ankle problem, while Mathys Tel and Randal Kolo Muani are yet to impress convincingly in their infrequent cameos.

Could Tottenham sack Thomas Frank?

Thomas Frank was given an 81% probability of completing the season as Spurs boss when FootballBlog.co.uk performed a recent study during the international break.

He was way down in 13th on our list of Premier League managers most likely to be sacked this season, but he is likely a little higher now.

Frank is still expected to keep his job until next summer at the earliest. But his team must improve their form, having now drawn one and lost three of their last four domestic matches.

What is the solution to Tottenham’s troubles?

There is no single magic fix for Tottenham’s current problems, but several things are clear.

Getting key players back from injury will help. Dominic Solanke’s return will give Spurs a proper focal point up front — someone who can hold the ball up, link play and get on the end of crosses. Kulusevski will add ball-carrying and creativity between the lines, while Simons needs regular minutes if he is to become the spark that unlocks deep defences.

The January transfer window could provide another opportunity to add a midfielder comfortable progressing the ball under pressure. But the primary solution to Tottenham’s recent troubles is on the training ground.

Frank must find a way of instilling a clear attacking identity in this team. Spurs need more defined patterns of play, greater bravery on the ball and a structure that gets their best attackers receiving possession in dangerous areas, rather than isolated with their backs to goal.

Tottenham do not need to revert to the reckless chaos of last season, but they do need to rediscover some ambition. If Frank cannot strike that balance between control and creativity, the pressure on his position will only intensify.