Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank has expressed satisfaction with his team's "identity" despite their recent 5-3 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the Champions League. The match, held in Paris, saw Spurs twice take the lead, with goals from Richarlison and Randal Kolo Muani. However, a Vitinha hat-trick and goals from Fabian Ruiz and Willian Pacho secured the victory for the French champions.
Frank, who took over as Tottenham manager in June, emphasized the importance of the performance following a heavy 4-1 loss to Arsenal in the North London derby. "I'm pleased with the performance. It was the reaction I wanted from the players, from the team," Frank stated. He added, "We've been working very hard on that, the players, the staff, me, to make sure that we responded well and bounced back because that's crucial after a bad performance".
Despite the loss, Frank saw positive signs in his team's display against PSG. "Today I saw more identity of the team I want to create, we want to create," he said. "Much more character, personality, aggressiveness. Three words you need to have in any team no matter how you want to do, how you want to play, whatever formation, whatever. Today we saw it, that I'm pleased with".
Frank also praised the performance of young players Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall, who were influential in the first half. "Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, positive," Frank noted. "When we played against a decent team where they have one Ballon d'Or winner (Ousmane Dembele) and I think the next one is playing in midfield. Vitinha. Wow, what a player".
Tottenham's loss to PSG leaves them in 16th place in the Champions League standings after five games. However, Frank remains confident in his team's ability to improve and compete against the best teams in Europe. "So it's a nice challenge that we are one hundred percent up for and I'm convinced we'll bounce back with a good performance," he said.
Frank acknowledged the need for his team to defend better, stating, "no team wins anything if they can't defend". He also addressed criticism regarding the team's chance creation, admitting it was a valid point. However, he maintained that his teams have always scored goals and that the shortcomings against Arsenal were due to a lack of aggression.
Looking ahead, Frank emphasized the importance of continuity and building a team over time. He noted that even successful managers like Luis Enrique at PSG faced challenges in their early seasons. "Part of taking this job was to have the challenges," Frank said. "Part of that is to manage those setbacks and learn and move on. One thing I'm 1,000% sure of … I know how to build a team, I know how to build a club and we will do that".
Despite the defeat, Thomas Frank remains optimistic about Tottenham's future and believes the team is heading in the right direction. He saw the game against PSG as a step towards establishing the identity he wants for the team, praising their character, personality, and aggressiveness.
