The darkness can set in early in Norway, where Tottenham Hotspur disembarked in midweek to find a gloom hovering over their positive start. Thomas Frank has provided a spot in the top four after six games, victories in two cups and best of all, a few things to complain about for want of a real crisis.
The problems might be a little overblown. But the real paper tiger, an attack worth £200m+, is yet to fully bear its teeth. Frank hailed the resilience it took to snatch draws against Brighton, Wolves and Bodo/Glimt; the other interpretation is that his side can only get out of jail so many times. Even Liverpool are having to learn that.
As they struggle to create chances from open play, Tottenham sit 11th in the Premier League table for xG (expected goals), xA (expected assists) and key passes. Mohammed Kudus leads the last metric with 12, followed by Pedro Porro’s 10. Nobody else has more than four.
There is another odd distinction about Spurs’ attack and it is the type of chances they are producing. Only two teams in the top flight are shooting from an average of under 15 yards – the other is Frank’s former club, Brentford.
So what exactly is going on – and how quickly can he fix it?
Bentancur-Palhinha pairing
Rodrigo Bentancur’s future looks secure as he enters new contract talks but in Joao Palhinha, Spurs now have a ball-winning No 6 who could be paired with a more creative, aggressive option – especially in games when they expect to dominate the ball. Lucas Bergvall, Pape Matar Sarr, or indeed Archie Gray after his Champions League cameo, all look like more positive options.
Xavi Simons’ role
Ahead of them, if there is one player who looks like the key to picking the lock, it is Xavi Simons, whose best performance came as a No 10 at Brighton. The Dutchman has underwhelmed on the left, and the question is whether Frank is wedded to a 4-3-3 (he wasn’t at Brentford). Does he believe it’s worth upending the entire front line to accommodate him?
Johnson is getting lost
On the other side, Brennan Johnson risks getting lost in all this. There is no denying the reliance on Kudus, who leads the way for assists, shot creation, take-ons, progressive passes and carries. Porro also makes a huge contribution down that side, with more assists (18) than any other defender in the Premier League since 2023-24.
The knock-on effect is that Johnson has only started twice all season in his most comfortable position on the right; his other three starts have come on the left.
A huge ask of Odobert
The void on that side was left by Son Heung-min, who was not properly replaced in the summer. The Savinho deal failed. At one point Manor Solomon was offered an olive branch to stay. Randal Kolo Muani can play on the left but has only been fit enough to make one appearance from the bench. Wilson Odobert is only 20 and still has just three goals to his name so far.
Why Kulusevski is such a loss
Frank’s hands were tied from the beginning by one injury dating back to last season, Dejan Kulusevski, and a fresh one, James Maddison, that rocked his summer preparations.
They happen to be Spurs’ two most creative players. Ange Postecoglou had rejuvenated Kulusevski partly by bringing him on the right of the midfield three, which has been stifled even further by his absence.
The No 9 issue
Yet the issue which is most glaring only appears to be getting worse. Dominic Solanke had already missed a month of football and has now undergone ankle surgery.
For now, that has increased the workload on Richarlison, who has himself had 10 separate periods out since he joined three years ago. Muani is a loan signing and Mathys Tel’s minutes have been restricted (he is not even in the Champions League squad) – and he is yet to score this season.
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