- 7 weeks ago
Tottenham manager Thomas Frank previews their Premier League match at home to Manchester United.
Hotspur Way, London, UK
Hotspur Way, London, UK
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00:01Are you alright?
00:02Oh, sorry, yeah, if I didn't trip over.
00:16Afternoon guys, we'll start with the broadcast section with no embargo,
00:18followed by an embargoed section for 10.30pm tonight.
00:21No live tweeting during the broadcast section and use the microphone provided.
00:24Jamie.
00:25Thank you Anthony. Hi Thomas, long time no see, good to see you.
00:27Good to see you.
00:28Just a bit of injury news to kick off, did everyone come through choosing unscathed
00:33and the latest on Mohamed Kudus as well?
00:35Yes, everything came through it well, so it was good.
00:41You can say the one that they've been out for, a small spell,
00:47Kudus and Dest responded well, so fit and available.
00:53Kudus is touch and go for tomorrow, yeah, we'll see.
00:57I'm sure a lot of Spurs fans sort of hope that the Jackal and Hyde Spurs days
01:02of lurching from one dismal performance to an excellent performance
01:05were maybe a thing of the past, but we've seen that in the last week.
01:08What gives you the confidence that tomorrow we'll see a performance
01:12more like Tuesday nights than last Saturdays?
01:15I always believe when we go into every game that we will put a good performance out there and do well.
01:26I think what gives me some confidence that we will put a good performance out there is that I think
01:33most of the performance we put out this year has been good in general over the season.
01:37We're not talking about home. There's been some that's not been top.
01:42Two of them, don't want to run away from that, was against Bournemouth and Chelsea at home,
01:48where the two teams did very well and we on the day didn't find the right solutions to match them.
01:55But I'm very confident because I think I see the right layers, the attitude in the players, the ability to want to improve.
02:04So yeah, it's another big game coming up that we are ready for, that we are looking forward to,
02:10get the fans behind us and we're ready to do everything we can to win the game.
02:17I feel like I could almost ask you about any player on Tuesday night because it felt like a big performance for a lot of players.
02:22But I wanted to ask you about Xavi Simons because it felt like a real confidence building performance from him.
02:27A sort of two part question, do you think he is a confidence player?
02:31And do you think the burden of being the main creative output in the absence of Kulishevski and Maddison
02:37is something that he is taking on and comfortable with?
02:40I think every player needs confidence. Every player does that. The best in the world, everyone.
02:49Some can say when you go to a new club, I think it's a little bit more evident that it's not that easy just to hit the ground running.
02:58But the more confidence you get, the better you play, the more you play, the more relationship you find out to get with your teammates,
03:08you know, step by step. And I agree, I think Xavi had a good performance.
03:12I think it was positive with a lot of bits. I still think it was a good step.
03:19I still think there's a lot of layers to be added to his game, but I was happy with his performance.
03:26Just one final question from me on Destiny. I appreciate there's probably stuff you can't say about what's going on there,
03:33but a really, again, great performance from him on Tuesday night as well. And given everything that's been happening off the pitch for him,
03:39just how much have you been having to support him one-to-one? And have you seen, has he come to you for support?
03:46Has he seemed different, more subdued?
03:48I think that the club, of course, is a terrible situation to have been in and can't speak too much about his legal cases.
03:56We know the club and we have done everything we can to support him and we'll do that.
04:01He's clearly doing well on the pitch, which is good. And we'll keep supporting him.
04:08For Charlie, please.
04:10Hi, Thomas. You mentioned those two losses at home to Bournemouth and Chelsea in the Premier League.
04:16Obviously, Spurs have got the best away record in the Premier League this season.
04:20But in terms of just that one win at home in the Premier League,
04:23do you get the sense that the players are feeling a weight on their shoulders whenever they do play at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium?
04:29I think this is a big shirt to wear in many ways. It should be proud. It should be something you're really excited about,
04:44wearing this beautiful shirt. Playing home and away shouldn't matter. To play at home should be a massive boost.
04:51When we play at home, we should feel even more confident, even more aligned, even more willing to do everything.
05:01And understand that the stats are not too good over a long time.
05:08For me, now there's a new opportunity, a new opportunity we need to embrace in the best possible way.
05:16Coming out there against a great Man United team that's in great form.
05:22It'll be a great game and we'll do everything we can to get out on top.
05:27In terms of Man United, most of their Premier League points this season have come when they have less than 50% possession in games.
05:35How do you expect them to play tomorrow and how will you try to look to counter that?
05:40I think, first and foremost, you can see, it's a Man United team that got more confidence, definitely.
05:50I think Ruben and his coaching staff have done a very good job. It's clearly been a tough year for them and for him.
06:00I admire him a lot for that, to go through a very tricky spell with a lot of setbacks.
06:10To get through that with that focus is well done.
06:14And you can see the bits he's been working on, it's more and more clear.
06:19I think it's also clear that he plays not only a system but a specific way, which they are very good at and they're getting better and better at.
06:29Right now they are in a moment where they have more or less, not more or less, I think every key player available and found his team,
06:36played more or less the same team last four or five games.
06:38So we know exactly what to expect for them. I think they have an incredible, dangerous front three.
06:48They are starting to get more up to pace and we need to close them down.
06:52But on the flip side, make sure they're running a little bit more backwards because we are attacking.
06:57One of those key players is someone you know really well, Brian Invermo, who's been named October's Premier League Player of the Month.
07:03Obviously he had a bit of a slow start to life at Manchester United but he's settling really well now and he's showing everyone what he can do.
07:11How pleased are you to see how he's doing? I imagine you're not surprised at that.
07:16No, I'm not surprised, of course.
07:18That, of course, I'll step out of my role as Tottenham or everything.
07:22When you work with a player for six years, you get a close relationship and to see him develop from being a young man,
07:3219 years old was he when he moved to London and Brentford and left six years later going into one of the biggest clubs in the world with all that focus and the way he stepped up.
07:46And for me, looking from the outside, maybe a little bit biased, I think he's been their best offensive player.
07:51He, you know, he can create, he can score, he works hard, he's a team player.
07:57He is the perfect example, in my opinion, from a player what I call about attitude, confident but humble.
08:03He's a top player. I think he will have fantastic success there.
08:07And I hope that for him, not tomorrow, but in general I hope I wish him all the best.
08:13Thomas.
08:14Welcome.
08:18Hi Thomas, how are you?
08:19I'm good, thank you. You?
08:20Good, thank you. We're about to approach the final international break before Christmas and then that big block of fixtures through to March.
08:28So you've been here three months. Kind of a two part question. Firstly, has it gone how you expected? And secondly, are we now seeing a Thomas Frank Spurs or is that still a work in progress?
08:39That will be a working process. That's no doubt about that. I think the first three months have been super exciting.
08:51Big, big learning curve because I think if you're not humble enough to, you know, meet, you learn, of course, every single day.
08:58You walk into a new club, you learn the players, you learn the staff, you know, learn about the club, you learn about how it works, the fans, everything.
09:06But I think it's been overall fine. I think we've been doing quite well to be able to get the amount of points we got in the Champions League and then in the Premier League to competing in two fronts.
09:25At the same time, I think that's been, yeah, quite good. I think in terms of how we play, I think there's been some really positive bits, especially on the defensive side.
09:35And the set pieces and we're clearly adding layers to the offensive part of the game. So I think we are, we're far from where I want us to be.
09:44And I'm not in doubt we'll get there, but we're taking steps in the right direction.
09:50In terms of getting there, getting there this season, getting there in the next couple of months. I mean, I'm curious about the learning curve.
09:59I mean, when you go into every club, when you first went into the first club you managed, when you first went into Brentford, is it not the same learning curve, but just a little bit steeper because the size of the club is bigger?
10:11I think I said it before, so learning. I think when I walked in here, it's different. No, it's not different.
10:20So in some ways, it's exactly the same. It's coaching 11 players, put a game plan up, evaluate a little bit, nurturing their egos, say them they're good enough, check them up, you know, when it's not going too well, manage expectation from the outside, a little bit more questions, try to implement the culture.
10:41All that is exactly the same. It's just different people. The level of what you want to do in terms of tactical is a little bit because they came from another setup, not worse, not better, just another setup.
10:53So you try to implement your principles the way you want to do it with culture, with my fantastic staff around me.
11:00So when I say the learning curve, it's to learn the people, how they function in good days and bad days, how the team react to a disappointing game against Chelsea.
11:11We love to respond. So all those bits, that's learning. How you find out what is the right players that play together, what is the relationship on and off the pitch.
11:21Say the staff, whatever, the board, whatever, all that, that's learning. Where the last days in Brentford, I could walk in, not say anything, walk out and I just knew it would be smooth, easy.
11:38Now it's a few more hard yards, but it's part of it.
11:42Is it good for players to have egos and how difficult is that to control?
11:45I think we all have egos. Even you. And even I. No, we all have it because we don't have an ego.
11:55I don't think none of you would be in this room, be in your position. I would not be sitting here.
12:00Some are just a little bit better to manage it themselves. Others need a little bit of guidance. So, yeah, that's part of it.
12:09You're welcome. Thank you.
12:11Thank you, Thomas. Just to ask you about some strikers. First one, Randall Kohler-Mawani. Obviously, we've seen some positive steps from him.
12:17You said there's more you still think he can reach. What is it? Is it fitness? Is it sharpness? Is it adapting to Premier League or all of the above?
12:25I think it's a little bit of both. I think sharpness because fitness-wise, he is fit to start and play and he played...
12:35What did he play against Chelsea? 70 minutes, I can't remember. And then 75 against Copenhagen. So he is that.
12:44But to do it at a highest possible intensity throughout 90 minutes, I don't think he's there yet.
12:51But also to have that sharpness where you don't think in your action, you just do it intuitive.
12:57I think that bit, he's getting there. But I think it was a very promising game against Copenhagen and I think he's on the right track.
13:08Does it bring that it's different to maybe Richarlison or Solanke? I think he's got a little bit...
13:15I think Solanke also is quite good to run him behind. But I think maybe a little bit of that pace down the side.
13:20I think that's a bit of it. I think he's... In general, just talking about him, I think I like his combination play.
13:29I like his linker play. I just think he's a good player.
13:35Just very quickly on Solanke actually. How is he doing? Is he kind of on track to come back like maybe quite quickly after international break?
13:42Yeah, I think the international break will be the big decided because we have two weeks there to push him next steps.
13:50As you say, it's going forward. Just to take it instead of the questions every single time.
13:57Because it was clearly that he was not ready before the international break is more.
14:00We look after the international break. That's what we're aiming for.
14:04And I think you always want to get it right. But I think it's important to get it right so he's out there, can help the team.
14:13And we need him back.
14:15Last one, a young striker. Dane Scarlett came on, had a positive impact on the game as well.
14:20He's been a young player that's been talked very highly of by a lot of the Tottenham managers in the past,
14:25that he was going to break through and is going to be this kind of big, maybe even England international.
14:29What's he still going to do to reach that? And obviously, there's a lot of competition for him here to make any impact at all.
14:35First and foremost, I think he's a great player. I think he's a fantastic finisher.
14:41He finishes at a very, very high level, left and right foot.
14:47I think probably he needs the bits that every player needs. He needs to play minutes and games.
14:54That's the biggest thing. And right now, the competition is tough here.
15:00And to be able to give him, let's say, three, four, five games in a row is probably a little bit difficult.
15:06It's never impossible. It's a little bit difficult. So for me, he needs to play games.
15:11Finish with George at the back, please.
15:13Thomas, you just spoke about sort of relationships and combinations.
15:17It feels like Xavi and Will Snowdeber have really got a good rapport.
15:21And I just sort of realized recently they played together at PSG in the academy.
15:25How sort of quickly did you guys on the training field see that kind of rapport and that relationship they have?
15:31And how sort of eager are you to build on that as well?
15:33Yeah, I agree. I think that that little bit, let's say between the two of them,
15:38you all know it, when you see two players that get along well outside the pitch,
15:43they also tend to find each other on the pitch a little bit, you know,
15:48they just know, I go, if you run there, I run there.
15:50If I play around the corner, he'll be in the set and now he runs deep or whatever it is.
15:55I think that that helps definitely because I also think they have more natural conversations about,
16:02okay, if I turn here, then you run down there.
16:05Or if you turn out, you know, I want the ball there, whatever it is.
16:09So I think that's important.
16:11We've seen it plenty of times with players in the past in different clubs.
16:16And I guess how eager are you to sort of build on that?
16:19They're obviously two young guys, you know, both have big price tags on their head,
16:22but it feels like kind of slowly but surely, certainly in Wilson's case,
16:26he's kind of starting to show his worth.
16:28Yeah, I agree.
16:29I think, as I said, Wilson before, I think it looks right when he's out there on the pitch.
16:36I'm happy that he got his goal against Copenhagen.
16:39I think he looks lively.
16:43He's always there. He wants the ball.
16:46He's not afraid to get it into feet.
16:48Under pressure, he's good to arrive in the box.
16:51He's alert. The goal is actually a good example of that.
16:55A little bit of an impossible ball that Kolomouane is chasing down.
16:58And maybe, you know, does he get that?
17:01He doesn't get it, but he believes that Wilson is on the way quite early.
17:04That means he's in a perfect position to have a relatively easy goal.
17:08Others could maybe just leave it.
17:10So he's constantly alive. His eyes are aware.
17:14And just with Tuesday, it was a fantastic win and performance.
17:18And the atmosphere was really, really good.
17:20I'm guessing probably the first time you've really seen the stadium that alive and rocking as much as it was.
17:26How much did you enjoy seeing that?
17:28How much do you kind of want that again, I guess, tomorrow at four o'clock?
17:31Yeah, the stadium was really rocking.
17:35It was great to see and experience, definitely.
17:40I said many times before, I think it needs to be a collaborative approach between fans and players.
17:47Together just want to do everything we can to get on the line and win a game.
17:51And then the more we can push each other to bring that positive energy in, the better.
17:58And that will be both ways.
17:59We will do everything we can to perform, to come flying out, to be on top of the game.
18:05Some parts of the game will not because we face a good team.
18:09No team will have momentum in 90 minutes.
18:13But that positivity, we definitely need to build on that.
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