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A football fan has a short memory, but thankfully Thomas FrankThe difference between matches is even smaller.
Just three days after facing criticism following a disappointing performance in the defeat to Chelsea, Spurs had Tottenham Hotspur Stadium excited with 4-0 win fc copenhagenWith a wonderful goal from Micky van de Ven and a controversial red card brennan johnson A summary of the best and worst of a Spurs team that has remained the most unpredictable in England.
Just as last season offered one of the most contradictory seasons in football – finishing 17th in the Premier League as well as a Europa League victory that brought their first trophy since 2008 – Tottenham remain an enigma this season, finishing just two points off second place in the league, but at the same time only being able to produce up to 0.05 xG.
And just days after that defeat to Chelsea, Spurs produced 3.31 xG against a reportedly poor Copenhagen team, with Xavi Simmons, Johnson and Van de Veen among those to impress in north London.
The hosts enjoyed the ball early and were rewarded inside 20 minutes when Johnson headed the ball past Simmons past the goalkeeper and opened the scoring with a cool finish,
They continued to dominate possession and although the visitors were able to go forward on occasions, solid defensive performances from the reliable duo of Van de Ven and Christian Romero meant that Spurs were rarely troubled before half-time.
The second half started in a similar fashion and Spurs doubled the lead within six minutes of the restart as Randall Kolo Muani charged down a clearance before collecting the loose ball and Wilson lying wide for Odobert to slot home.
Everyone thought the game might already be over with evidence of Copenhagen’s performance, although there was still time for controversy as Johnson received a straight red card for a challenge on Marcos López. While the Welshman did make contact with the back of the ankle, it was a bizarre decision by the referee, who changed the yellow straight to red after a VAR review.
While not necessarily Johnson’s fault, the entire scenario summed up Spurs’ penchant for the ridiculous, be it moments of madness, acts of rashness or outright displays of indifference.
No one knows Tottenham’s ability to make things difficult for themselves more than the home fans, and there were whispers and nervousness around the stadium when their team was down to 10 players. Interestingly, these were visible everywhere with groans and screams in moments of indecision or poor attacking play, notably when Kolo Muani was denied an attempted volley into an open net seconds before setting up Odobert for the second.
All this goes to show where the minds of fans and players are at, how the emotions of the home faithful depend on a knife’s edge depending on the quality of a shot or the timing of a decision. This clearly has an impact on the players too, with Kolo Muani clearly missing some golden chances and perhaps being guilty of being overly hesitant at times.
However, even more miraculously, these nerves were allayed within seven minutes of the red card courtesy of a wondergoal from Van de Ven. The Dutchman picked up the ball in his own half and took it to the Copenhagen box, avoiding a few half-way challenges and producing a superb finish that fired past the goalkeeper from just inside the box.
There was still time to do, Joao Palinha ending the game with a tap-in from a great Romero cross, before Richarlison rattled the bar with a penalty, perhaps showing that nerves remained even after the result was secured.
Victory means Spurs move up to seventh Champions League The league stage table – ahead of the trip to defending champions Paris Saint-Germain – leaves a number of teams with a number of teams still to play on Wednesday. Their final three matches of the campaign included a trip to Slavia Prague and a German double header against Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt.
Given the quality present among Europe’s top teams, it was perhaps unlikely that Spurs would finish in the top eight – there are five clubs coming into this week with 100 per cent records – however with the fixtures mentioned above, Frank’s team could do just that.
Whether this is a success for the new boss is unclear. How do you measure success after last season?
Still, last weekend’s successes show that one thing the Dane definitely struggles with is unrealistic expectations. He has only been in his new role for a few months and may be a victim of his own success at Brentford, with fans expecting an immediate improvement thanks to more budget and better players.
However, this is a Spurs team that is six months away from their worst league season on record, and while some may argue that a Europa League win gives the club a platform to build on, the reality is that 2025-26 is a rebuilding season. The Ange Postecoglou project needs to be dismantled and rebuilt bit by bit, not maintained and delicately pieced together in the hope of bringing success.
In Frank, Spurs have a man with the pragmatism, realism and talent who could successfully execute this rebuild if given the chance – he should be judged on results and performances like any other manager, but he should also be given somewhat more time and empathy.