It has been an impressive start for Thomas Frank at Tottenham as his side sit third in the Premier League table five games in.
After coming from behind to earn a 2-2 draw away at Brighton, the new manager labelled it as their “most complete performance so far in the season”.
Having conceded only three goals in the league this season and looking like a real threat from attacking set pieces, it seems the Dane’s imprint is already beginning to show at Spurs.
However, with Wolverhampton Wanderers up next in the league, at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Frank will be looking to avoid repeating an unattractive trend that his predecessor, Ange Postecoglou, fell victim to last season.
Thomas Frank cannot match Ange Postecoglou with Tottenham defeats against out-of-form sides
Ange Postecoglou’s footballing philosophy is completely different to that of Thomas Frank. Lots of possession, high intensity and attacking intent.
However, a narrative that was constantly thrown at the Australian last season was that his high defensive line was naive, he did not care about defending set pieces, and there was a general lack of organisation around defending.
This proved to be the case in November last year when Spurs lost 1-2 at home to newly promoted Ipswich Town, giving the Tractor Boys their first win of the season and their first victory in the top flight for 22 years.
A completely unexpected result at the time, inspired by youngster Liam Delap; it proved to be the first sign of cracks appearing at Spurs under Postecoglou, who said: “I think it’s been our season so far, it’s been really inconsistent.”
It was a new year, but the same outcome repeated itself for Spurs at home to another promoted team, Leicester City.
The Foxes had lost seven consecutive Premier League games before the match; they beat Tottenham, then went on to lose their next nine fixtures in all competitions, a truly damning statistic for Spurs.
It was a result which sent Spurs fans into full meltdown mode, as many in the stadium and on social media voiced their frustrations at Chairman Daniel Levy.
Given how poorly last season went, Tottenham simply can’t afford to repeat those mistakes.
Frank has an opportunity to show that growth, as Wolves are up next.
They are the team most out of form, losing every single Premier League game so far.
For the manager, it’s an opportunity to show he can put these teams to the sword and prove that Tottenham have progressed early on in his management.
Two summer signings and tactical flexibility will see Spurs’ fortunes change this season
Thomas Frank is a pragmatic coach who will set his team up in different systems and formations depending on the opposition.
Being at home and big favourites to win the match versus Wolverhampton Wanderers, Spurs will have to be aware of the opposition’s threat on the counterattack.
Having a fit first-choice back four of Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky Van de Ven and Djed Spence should help to ease fans’ fears of a potential upset.
Yet a huge reason for optimism at Spurs for matches like this must be the summer arrivals of Mohammed Kudus, a £55 million signing from rivals West Ham and the late swoop for RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons, for £51.8 million from under Chelsea’s nose.
The exciting, creative duo are extremely comfortable on the ball, they bring flair and an ability to conjure magic from out of nowhere.
It is very early on in Kudus and Simons’ Spurs careers. Players like them get fans off their seats and they know the type of performances that they are expected to deliver.
Spurs’ fans and Thomas Frank will be hoping that the team can heal some of the scars from last season, and avoid the humiliation of falling to defeat against teams in poor form.