Frank ‘losing respect’ of Tottenham dressing room as ex-player makes scathing claim
Former Tottenham star Ramon Vega has launched a scathing attack on Spurs boss Thomas Frank after their 5-3 loss to PSG in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Tottenham show flashes but fall to PSG defeat in Paris
Spurs’ unbeaten European run came to a grinding halt in spectacular fashion as the European champions powered to a thrilling victory at the Parc des Princes, with midfielder Vitinha stealing the headlines by scoring a sensational hat-trick.
Frank’s young side showed tremendous character by twice taking the lead in a pulsating encounter, only to be overwhelmed by PSG’s attacking quality during a devastating second-half spell.
The match showcased both the promise and vulnerability of Spurs’ inexperienced squad, with teenagers Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray impressing before defensive lapses proved costly.
Vitinha’s treble told the story of the evening. The Portuguese thundered home a spectacular long-range equaliser just before halftime, curled in his second to restore parity after the break, then sealed his hat-trick from the penalty spot following Cristian Romero’s handball, with his performance epitomizing PSG’s clinical edge when opportunities arose.
Randal Kolo Muani was another positive for Tottenham, scoring twice against his parent club and notching an assist for Richarlison to briefly give Spurs hope of an unlikely win.
|
PSG 5-3 Tottenham – best performers |
Match Rating |
|---|---|
|
The Redican Creation |
8.7 |
|
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia |
8.4 |
|
Vitinha |
8.4 |
|
Willian Pacho |
8.1 |
|
João Neves |
8.0 |
|
via WhoScored |
|
However, Fabian Ruiz’s composed finish and William Pacho’s close-range effort during PSG’s dominant period ultimately proved decisive.
The defeat leaves Tottenham precariously positioned sixteenth in the league phase standings after five games, significantly increasing pressure on Frank ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash against Fulham.
The Dane has attracted, to say the least, very mixed reviews since replacing Ange Postecoglou in the summer. Frank’s spell has been marred by concerns surrounding creativity and a ‘boring’ style of play, with Spurs nearly bottom of the pile for numerous attacking metrics so far this season.
This includes an expected goals (xG) of just 11.0, which is the fourth worst in the entire Premier League.
|
25/26 Premier League |
Spurs |
League rank |
|---|---|---|
|
xG |
11.0 |
17th |
|
Non-penalty xG |
11.0 |
16th |
|
Progressive passes |
413 |
12th |
|
Shots |
110 |
19th |
|
Shots on target |
40 |
15th |
|
Average shot distance |
15.6 yards |
17th |
Many are wondering if Frank really is the right man to take them forward, and their crushing North London derby loss last weekend didn’t exactly plead his case.
Ramon Vega makes scathing Thomas Frank claim after Tottenham defeat
Speaking to talkSPORTformer Lilywhites player Vega made his thoughts on Frank crystal clear this morning — even stating that Postecoglou was the better man for the Spurs job.
“He is changing his mind every two seconds,” Vega told talkSPORT Breakfast.
“One thing with Ange, whatever you criticise him, he might be limited in his own way, but he had the balls. He stuck to his guns.
“The players need this kind of certainty in the dressing room. That’s why I think when Ange was winning the Europa League with the young boys, 80 per cent of the season was with the young boys [due to injuries]the dressing room was sticking to him. And you can see that.”
Vega also says that the dressing room doesn’t appear to have that same respect for Frank, with the pundit questioning his ability to be a leader.
“I’m not sure this dressing room is starting to respect Frank because he’s changing how they play. They don’t know where to go, what to do. They haven’t got a strategically stable place to go,” he said.
“And the dressing room, as a player, when you know what the coach wants and he’s doing it week in, week out, the mentality is there, then the team starts to play well.
“But if you’re changing every five minutes, you really, really make the players very insecure. They don’t know where to go. And you can see that in these two games.
“If he doesn’t control the dressing room, he can be as good as he wants, as nice as he is, but he hasn’t got the balls. I don’t see Frank as suitable for this because I don’t think he has the balls. He hasn’t got a character to do this.”
Given Frank is now starting to attract these kinds of opinions, absolutely nothing but a win will do at Fulham this weekend.
However, he’ll have to make do without star defender Cristian Romero, who’s suspended for the clash.
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