Individual errors, poor passing, losing duels and an inability to respond properly to setbacks were among the reasons Tottenham head coach Thomas Frank gave for his side’s 3-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest.
Frank said there was “a hurricane inside me” as he tried to control his emotions after what he called a “burning annoying performance.” During a Sky Sports interview he reacted sharply when asked to compare Forest’s first goal to Guglielmo Vicario’s error against Fulham, blaming Forest’s opener on Archie Gray taking a touch from a goalkeeper pass before being dispossessed.
The loss at the City Ground ended a three-match unbeaten run and left Spurs with their worst Premier League start in 17 years. After finishing 17th last season under Ange Postecoglou, Tottenham sit 11th this term.
“No quick fix,” Frank warned when asked if he would be given time to turn things around. “I think it’s pretty evident, if no one gets the time, no one can turn this around. This is not a quick fix.”
Frank pointed to long-standing issues within the group, particularly how the team reacts to conceding. “These setbacks can’t affect us that much. It can’t be one goal that makes it so disjointed,” he said, urging the squad to “keep the structure, keep the gameplan, keep doing the right things.” He called for greater consistency in that area.
Sloppiness was a recurring theme. Gray’s error was the fifth time a Spurs player has made a mistake directly leading to a Premier League goal this season — only bottom club Wolves (seven) have more — and Spurs have also made the most errors leading to opposition shots (20). Passing accuracy was just 79 per cent, their fourth-lowest in the league this season, which contributed to an Expected Goals (xG) of only 0.37. Richarlison had just two touches in the opposition box and the team managed one shot on target.
“With all due respect, we’re in it together, we win together, we lose together… But they need to be able to hit each other,” Frank said about poor passing. “Simple passing. I think we lost the ball 20 times [from a] simple pass.”
Out of possession Spurs were beaten for intensity. “We didn’t win enough duels,” Frank added. Forest dominated the running metrics; Callum Hudson-Odoi, who scored twice, summed his team’s approach as “Go, go, go.” The visitors posted some of their lowest running figures of the season. Attitude was also questioned after substitute Djed Spence showed visible frustration when taken off.
“It’s a step back today,” Frank admitted, disappointed that Spurs could not build on encouraging displays against Newcastle, Brentford and Slavia Prague. With six days to prepare before hosting Liverpool, Frank insisted solutions are needed quickly or Tottenham’s inconsistency risks derailing another Premier League season.