- 3 months ago
Frank and Romero preview Tottenham return to UCL against Villareal
15/09/2025
uefa25 champions league
15/09/2025
uefa25 champions league
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00:00OK, afternoon guys, welcome to our Matchday Minus One press conference ahead of tomorrow's
00:25Champions League fixture against Villarreal.
00:27I'm joined by our Head Coach Thomas Frank and Captain Christian Romero.
00:31We'll take questions for both.
00:33To begin with, please use the microphone provided for those needing headphones.
00:37English on Channel 1, Spanish on Channel 2.
00:40And we will start with Chris.
00:42After all your years in management, what does it mean to you personally to be managing in your first Champions League game?
00:50Obviously, that is a big thing. I'm hugely looking forward to it. I know it'll be special when we have that Champions League anthem playing.
01:04That will be the moment. Now is preparation. A few more cameras. Business as usual. But when we walk out to the pitch tomorrow, that will be special.
01:16This group of players, they know how to win in Europe. Do you believe you've got a squad here that can go all the way in this competition?
01:23I believe I have a fantastic squad and we would like to go as far as possible. And if you're in a competition, ultimately you want to try to win it.
01:33But I think the most important thing is this one game at a time. We have a game against Villarreal tomorrow. A very good team.
01:42Very, very impressed when I've studied them. But we will do everything we can to get a good start.
01:49Carrie, please.
01:51Thomas, a huge moment for you in the Champions League and also going to the Yellow Submarines and Villarreal. Two teams that really are enjoying a fairytale resurgence.
02:03What do you know of this team? A team built by a manager that believes in good players and good people like you.
02:09A huge respect for Marcelinho. I think he's done a top job. We can see his team is well structured, well organised the way they play.
02:21They like to dominate as much as possible on the ball. I've been impressed with what I've seen and it's going to be a good challenge.
02:30Romero, coming up against Juan Foy for your Argentina teammate who played here as well. How good is he? A captain with strong leadership, very hard to get past.
02:41What's your message to your teammates about how to get past him?
02:44Well, good afternoon, first. Yes, well, Juan, I know him. We're together in the U20, we've shared the U20, we've shared the U23.
02:54And, well, we have the opportunity to continue to share with us in the Mador, where we get the maximum with our team.
03:03And, well, he's a great player, a great person. He passed through the club.
03:09And, well, it's going to be an important game for him. So, that's all. We wish him the best and we hope to receive him well tomorrow.
03:17Pepe has won Player of the Month in his league, beating Yamel, Mbappe, Nicholas as well, Nico Williams as well.
03:26Tell me about how good your defense is, though. You've done well this season keeping clean sheets, but you've never lost a major final.
03:36And we can't forget Van de Ven's brilliant clearance in the Europa League final. How strong are you feeling in this competition?
03:43I think we always focus on our work. We have a great coach of defenders that we are doing well.
03:58We have three years ago. We've been with Matt and we always wanted to improve.
04:04We started well, taking Bormund, who we lost here at home.
04:09And, unfortunately, in the last seven minutes of the final against Paris Saint-Germain, we escaped the final.
04:16But, nothing. We always focus on the rival that we are in front.
04:22And we try to keep growing, keep improving. We know that we are not perfect.
04:28But, a long time ago, we've already met with all the defenders that are here in the club.
04:35So, we're very happy. We hope to continue to improve and improve, obviously.
04:44Hi Thomas, how are you?
04:45Good, thank you.
04:47The format of the Champions League. This is the second year of this new format. Are you a fan?
04:54I think, in general, I'm a person who is open for different things. I saw it from the outside last year.
05:05Now, I need to try it and live it. For now, I think it looks interesting and promising.
05:14I think, no matter the format, it's a Champions League game tomorrow. We're looking forward to that and we'll do everything we can to win it.
05:21Do you have an idea of how many points you'll need to get through?
05:24I don't focus on that. I focus on one thing. Let's see if we can beat Villarreal tomorrow. That's the most important thing.
05:30So, after that, we're playing a car member of Brighton, I think. And then, yeah, one game at a time.
05:37And your journey, just when I first met you, when you came through at Brentford, you were trying to get out of the Championship.
05:44Now you're in the Champions League. Tell me about your journey from Griffith Park and the small compact ground to the very top in your profession right now.
05:54Of course, it's a fantastic opportunity or experience tomorrow. We're going to experience tomorrow in many ways, as you say.
06:04We played with Brentford in the Championship at a Griffin Park, a small compact stadium.
06:10And tomorrow we were playing in one of the best stadiums in the world. Maybe the best, again, in front of our fantastic fans.
06:18It's a European night. We know they will be absolutely on it. It will be so special.
06:25So, yeah, really looking forward to the first two minutes and the Champions League anthem and then focus on the game.
06:36Matt.
06:37Hello, Kutik. May I start with a question to you? I think a lot of us thought this season you may not be at Spurs.
06:46You may have left in the summer. Instead, you're here as the captain. Can you tell us a little bit about what happened?
06:53Why you felt ready to commit your future to Spurs and what you hope will happen next?
07:01Well, as I said earlier in an interview with an Argentine period,
07:08the things that are talked about in red and the things that are talked about outside of the club,
07:16I can't stop them, I can't stop them, I can't stop them.
07:21For me, at the end, the most important thing is what I say, what I say here in the club,
07:28the people that are working, the president, the técnico.
07:32And, nothing, I'm very happy.
07:35The truth is, for me, the Tottenham is a family,
07:39it's a club that the first day has given me everything and I'm very happy.
07:44From the end, I took the decision to enlarge my contract,
07:51because, as I said, I'm a fan of the club.
07:55I like the coach that came, the way he works, the way he works,
08:02how they are doing things in the club.
08:05I think that there are always things to improve and we have to do them,
08:12but I think that the club is taking the right decisions to go on the other level.
08:18But, nothing, we are working to make things happen,
08:22so I'm happy here and that's what's important.
08:24Thomas, may I ask you a question, please?
08:30You're almost 100 days, I think, now into your Spurs career
08:35and I think we've all been impressed with most of it.
08:38But, I just wondered if you could give us an idea, with hindsight,
08:43what you might have done differently against Bournemouth.
08:45It's sort of the one game where it may have not gone quite as you planned.
08:51I think, first and foremost, I would just like to win it a bit easier.
08:57But, no, I think that was a bad performance
09:02and it definitely didn't get better when I watched it back.
09:05I always try to look at myself and what I could have done better,
09:09so I actually didn't think I helped the players well enough in that game
09:13and took the wrong decision in terms of the planning.
09:16Not that we didn't have a plan for Phase 1 and Phase 2,
09:18not getting very tactical, but that was the bit where we should have done more in this game.
09:24Not that we didn't do anything, that was the biggest thing.
09:27Then, I would say that big respect to Bournemouth.
09:32They are a very difficult and tricky team to play against.
09:35So, they did very well. They hit a top level and we didn't hit a good level.
09:40So, there was a bad combination, that bit.
09:43So, we learned from it and we moved forward.
09:47Tom?
09:49Nice question for Christian, for QT.
09:51We were watching you guys in training earlier.
09:53It looked like a lot of fun in the driving rain.
09:55At one point, you were doing some press-ups in training.
09:58I just wanted to know what the story was there.
10:00Was it a forfeit for something that had happened?
10:02Can you explain why you were doing press-ups?
10:06I'm a bit excited to hear what he was saying.
10:09No, yes.
10:11Yes, the truth is that we always have fun.
10:14We have fun more than the game.
10:17But, nothing.
10:19It took me to do a flexion because it's culpa of Pape.
10:23It was in the round and that's why it was.
10:25But, nothing.
10:26The group is very happy.
10:28Tomorrow we will return.
10:30The club and the aficion are certainly very happy.
10:34We will return to Champions after two seasons.
10:38And, obviously, again, to QT, this season could be very exciting.
10:59Both the club and country have got, you know, a chance, hopefully,
11:03to defend the World Cup next summer.
11:06So, the question that a lot of fans, not just Argentina fans, are asking at the moment is,
11:10will Lionel Messi be involved there?
11:12I mean, first of all, if you know, can you let us know?
11:15And, if not, how much are you hoping that the great Lionel Messi will be with you guys at the World Cup next summer?
11:21Well, Leo.
11:22First of all, I'll answer you for Leo.
11:23I think he's very good.
11:24He can continue playing.
11:25Obviously, that's going to be his decision.
11:26But, we enjoy it a lot.
11:27For me, and for the people who know football, I think he's the biggest player of all the time.
11:28And, for Leo, I think he's the biggest player of all the time.
11:35And, for me, and for the people who know football, I think he's the biggest player of all the time.
11:47I enjoy having him a lot of fun with him and having him, to be able to share.
11:51And, of course, he'll be able to share with you guys how great that he has his team.
11:54And, obviously, he's going to be able to share with you guys how much.
11:57I think that he's going to be able to share with you guys at the World Cup.
12:00It's something that I live on day-to-day, tomorrow we'll have a very important game,
12:06and my mind is only on that.
12:09And then when I'm with the seleccion and the world, I don't have to talk,
12:13it's a lot of time, there are a lot of months ahead,
12:17I have to focus on the game tomorrow and try to start with a victory,
12:22because it would be very important for us.
12:24Hi, Christian, you talk about Spurs as a family,
12:31is it inevitable that there might be a few arguments within a family?
12:54No, no, por ahora no hemos tenido discusiones con ninguno,
13:02la verdad que tenemos un buen arranque de temporada,
13:06obviamente que hay mucho por mejorar, mucho por trabajar,
13:11pero nada, se ha creado un grupo hermoso ya,
13:16el anterior técnico Ange había creado este grupo,
13:20ahora llegó Tomás y también sigue con nuevos jugadores,
13:25y la verdad que estamos bien, hay muchos jugadores joven
13:29que seguramente tienen mucho que aprender y crecer,
13:33pero el grupo está muy unido y eso es lo importante,
13:36al final creo que cuando se hace una familia
13:41es mucho más fácil de conseguir objetivos.
13:46Gracias.
13:50Y mi segundo pregunta es,
13:52you made quite a number of statements last season
13:55and we could sit here and go through all of them,
13:57but I just want to ask you about one, please,
14:00which was the one that you released
14:02when Tomás was appointed and paid tribute to Ange.
14:06You said that you paved the way by the many obstacles
14:09that always existed and always will exist.
14:12I just wanted to ask you,
14:14do you feel that those obstacles are not here now?
14:17Thanks.
14:18Yes, I did a lot of interviews
14:24I did a lot of interviews,
14:26I did a lot of interviews,
14:28I thought I was wrong with people here,
14:30but at the end of the end of the day,
14:32I am a person who sometimes committed errors,
14:36I always want the best for the club,
14:41I have to say things that are not that good,
14:45but I always want to grow,
14:47I want to grow,
14:49I see a structure of a club that can be at first level,
14:53a par of the big clubs,
14:56that's why I have a lot of envy that I had before,
14:59but today I see a club very organized,
15:02with the idea clear,
15:03that there is a coach that I think is ordening the things,
15:08and that's what we are seeing in this little time
15:10that we have with him,
15:11and all the people here in the middle are going
15:15in the same direction,
15:16and that's what's important,
15:17we hope to continue.
15:19There are goals for the season,
15:21but as I said before,
15:23the head is set in the game tomorrow,
15:25we will enjoy that we will play the Champions,
15:27and that's what's most important.
15:30Hi Thomas,
15:36obviously your first Champions League game tomorrow,
15:38have you got any kind of early memories,
15:40even growing up,
15:41or older of the European Cup,
15:43or Champions League games that kind of stand out for you in your mind?
15:46Of course,
15:48watched a lot of Champions League games,
15:50I think there was a...
15:52I think it's been...
15:53When did the format start?
15:54When was that?
15:55When was that?
15:56When did it?
15:5792, I think.
15:5892, was that the first one?
15:59Because I liked maybe it was the Champions League,
16:01but I definitely remember that one in 92,
16:03that was the one with Barcelona against,
16:06it was Sandoja,
16:07or something like that in the final,
16:08where Michael Otto played,
16:09and I think Ronald Koeman scored on a fantastic free kick.
16:11So some standout games and finals,
16:15of course you'll remember the 99 Man United triple,
16:20and also the fantastic,
16:25crazy win against Bayern,
16:27the Liverpool,
16:29the Milan 3-3,
16:30so there's so many,
16:31so many Champions League memories,
16:33so many big games.
16:35And then one for Kuti,
16:37what does success look like in your eyes for Tottenham this season?
16:41As a squad would you be happy just to come fifth and qualify for the Champions League,
16:45or now you've got a trophy, do you want to win more?
16:47Yes, obviously,
16:53one always compete for winning,
16:55it would be easy to sit here and say,
16:59we're prepared to win absolutely everything,
17:03but we have to compete,
17:07we have to be part of the game,
17:09and with the heads of the winner,
17:13and at the end,
17:15we lose the hope,
17:17so we have a fantastic group,
17:19with a coach that,
17:21as I said before,
17:22I'll leave the idea clear,
17:23the group is very happy,
17:25and we have to go from the game to the game,
17:27but I think we can achieve great things.
17:29We hope,
17:30and we're going to fight for
17:32to get another trophy,
17:33obviously,
17:34and that would be incredible for us,
17:36to continue to win,
17:37obviously.
17:38First one for Thomas,
17:41just wondering,
17:42team news,
17:43Dominic,
17:44how close is he?
17:45I mean,
17:46we obviously didn't see him out there,
17:47and also,
17:48with Randall Colomarani,
17:49how long could he play,
17:51if you needed him to?
17:53First,
17:54Dom,
17:55he's taking steps in the right direction,
17:58so that's positive.
18:00As you saw there,
18:02he's not ready to be involved tomorrow.
18:05Randall Colomarani,
18:06Randall Colomarani,
18:09he's ready.
18:11How many minutes?
18:12You know,
18:13he can always play more minutes than we think,
18:15and of course,
18:16if he needed him to play,
18:17he could play 90 minutes,
18:18but can he play at the intensity,
18:20at the level we want?
18:22But he's ready,
18:24and he's involved tomorrow,
18:25so that's the most important thing.
18:27One for Kuti.
18:29I just wanted to know,
18:30what kind of captain you are,
18:32for this team, really.
18:33I think Ange said,
18:34I think it might have been last season,
18:35when Sonia was away at the Asian Cup,
18:37he noticed you stepped up,
18:39and kind of went to all the different groups of players,
18:42and brought everyone together.
18:43Is that the kind of captain you're going to be,
18:45or are you going to be one that leads by example?
18:47What kind of captain you're going to be,
18:48for example?
18:49The truth is that I try to unite all the groups,
18:56obviously,
18:57because it's the first time I'm captain,
19:02and it's something new for me,
19:03I have a lot to learn.
19:05I have a lot to learn for you,
19:07as well,
19:08as I say,
19:10as a result,
19:12as a result,
19:13I have successed in my team,
19:15I have a lot to become a lot of leaders here in my team,
19:16I have a lot of leaders here in the club,
19:18and the main thing is,
19:20as I said earlier,
19:22as I say,
19:23as I said before,
19:24it's much easier for me,
19:26in the same direction, create something like a family inside, and I think that is
19:32a little bit. Obviously, it is not easy that everyone is happy, at the end there are
19:38players who play less, there are players who play more, whatever the situation is, but
19:43the group is incredible, it is creating something very nice, we hope, obviously,
19:48to continue to grow together, and I think, as I said before, creating a family is much
19:54easier than things.
20:24It is clear to everyone that we want to go man-man and high pressure, there is no secret,
20:28but that needed to be tweaked depending on the opponent, there could be a small adjustment
20:34there, the middle pressure and the low pressure, but we have guiding principles that hopefully
20:37helps the players. And then the same with the offensive side of the game, how we want to
20:45break through, how we want to build up, but of course, depending on the opponent they
20:51have, they may press in different ways, and then maybe we need to tweak a little bit if
20:55we build up in a 4-1 and a 4-2, whatever we call it, what kind of solutions do we find
21:00out to use, and then we try to get it across to the players with videos, with some walk-throughs,
21:06with some different ways of doing it, but I am a big believer that we can get the right
21:14details across in the right amount, because I do not believe being out there for two hours
21:21or having a one-hour meeting, so it is how can we do that balance to give them some good
21:27guidelines, and then they are top players, so we give them good guidelines, they need to
21:31take decisions on the pitch, and they are very good at that.
21:33Thank you. And then my second question is for you, Kuti. Can I just ask you directly
21:37for your thoughts on the chairman Daniel Levy leaving after 24 years at the club?
21:49Well, I don't know what happened. I really took it as a surprise, at least for me. I didn't
21:55have a chance to talk to him, but it is a person who has been a lot of years
22:03in the club, and I thank you for him because he was the one who brought me to the Tottenham
22:09and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and
22:13with them solve all these ways, leading, and so I think
22:17we began to control they all played with the Europa League, and I believe
22:19that he was gonna be happy and I don't care what happened.
22:20Well, I have any couple other questions, and I don't know what was its decision.
22:21It was better to say, but I don't have anything to say to do with that.
22:23I don't have anything to do.
22:53I think, as I said before, it's a bit of everything, a bit of the team, of the team, of the people who work for us, of the directors.
23:15At the end, it depends on how we all go in the same direction.
23:22I think since Tomas came here, they started to take all those decisions to go on the same way.
23:29So, it's much easier to do.
23:32The players know the goals of the season, and we hope to continue.
23:38We're very happy.
23:40We would have wanted to start with another title in the season.
23:44It didn't happen, but we're fine.
23:47We hope to continue, improving and working together to achieve the goals.
23:53And just on your style as captain, you obviously play with a lot of aggression.
23:57It's one of the best things about you as a player.
23:59But do you think you will also need to bring some extra control to your game as captain?
24:04No.
24:06Me tildaron de aresivo, but no.
24:11My way of playing is something that I have taught me as a kid in Argentina.
24:22And I have it inside.
24:25I love playing this sport.
24:27When I go to the game, for me, I don't have a friend.
24:32I don't have a friend.
24:33I don't have a friend.
24:34I just defend myself.
24:35I just defend myself.
24:36I defend myself.
24:37I defend myself.
24:38I defend myself.
24:39Well, it happened that last year I had a encounter with Enzo Fernando in the Chelsea.
24:45And I demonstrate a little bit that I defend myself.
24:49A Enzo I love a lot.
24:50And, lamentablement, I had a encounter with him.
24:55But, it's my way of playing.
24:58I take it in the blood.
25:01And, I think, until today, I've arrived here.
25:05Why do I change today?
25:07So, I have to keep improving, learning a lot more.
25:11And, with my mind, I'm sure I'm doing the best things.
25:18Okay. Thank you very much.
25:28All right, let's start.
25:31You're welcome.
25:32I am, so.
25:33I am.
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