Thomas Frank has created the opposite problem at Tottenham from Ange Postecoglou

It was a Sunday that started with so much promise for Thomas Frank and Tottenham.

Sure, injuries to Destiny Udogie and Cristian Romero tamed the optimism plenty would've entered the day with after the victory at Elland Road two weeks ago, but there was a very brief period when it looked like Spurs had taken an early 2-0 lead over Aston Villa.

After Rodrigo Bentancur crashed home the opening goal inside five minutes, Mohammed Kudus thumped an effort beyond Emi Martinez, but the linesman's flag subdued Lilywhite enthusiasm.

Still, the hosts were well on top.

However, Spurs' promising opening act quickly faded into dreary monotony. Aston Villa weren't great, but they punished the hosts with two excellent finishes to turn the game on its head and escape with a 2-1 victory. It was a contest that neither team deserved to win, and our defeat thrust the spotlight onto Thomas Frank, who simply must evolve his framework in the aftermath.

Thomas Frank must evolve if he's to survive as Spurs boss

I'm a big fan of Frank, and accepted that the Dane's emphasis on defensive solidity, resilience and functionality was going to inhibit the fluidity and efficiency of our possession play at the start of his reign.

Before the October break, Frank had succeeded in ensuring his side were far tougher to beat compared to Ange Postecoglou's domestic iteration of the Lilywhites for the vast majority of his tenure. At the weekend, however, Spurs were defeated by a pair of strikes from distance, which involved the shooters having far too much time to let fly.

Still, the story of Sunday's game wasn't our concessions, it was the eye-gouging work with the ball that concerned the majority.

Frank's possession principles have never caught the eye, with his teams previously excelling on the counter-attack, and when they can create artificial transition sequences by utilising depth in the build-up, thus tempting opponents onto them and facilitating space for fast-moving attackers.

Right now, Spurs are operating with two triangles out wide which absolutely everything revolves around. The centre of the pitch has been made redundant, and debate has raged in the aftermath as to whether that particular avoidance is down to Frank's selection of midfield personnel, or if the manager exclusively wants his team to attack out wide.

If the latter's the case, then I feel for Xavi Simons. The Dutchman was another talking point from Sunday's game, due to his anonymity, but when we perform as we did, with central progression avoided like the plague, how can we expect our chief playmaker to develop any rhythm? He needs to be getting as many touches as possible, but only Wilson Odobert (29) and Mathys Tel (13) recorded fewer than our No. 7 (35).

Bentancur opened the scoring, but Frank's reliance on the Uruguayan is costing him; there's no two ways about it. I don't even understand his inclusion from a security perspective. He's proven to be a defensive liability over the past 18 months, and simply no longer performs with the elegance and, most importantly, consistency that he did at the start of his Tottenham career. Utilising Pape Matar Sarr or Lucas Bergvall alongside João Palhinha has to be the move going forward.

But, as I alluded to, I don't think this is solely a personnel issue. Spurs, in games where they're expected to dominate possession, are far too predictable. It's Mohammed Kudus or bust, and this reliance allowed the imbalance to resurface again on Sunday, after it dissipated during the 2-1 win at Leeds. The Ghanaian was off colour in the second half, rendering Spurs' efforts to restore their lead then work their way back into the game futile.

The set-pieces that looked so dangerous at the very start of the season have had their menace sapped, and, in times of strife, supporters are going to struggle to get behind Kevin Danso taking minutes off the clock to ensure his impressive long throw is optimally delivered. I can't deny their importance in the current landscape, but celebrating dead-ball situations makes the romantic in me weep.

If Frank's framework fails to evolve and he refuses to scale up his principles, we can only expect more outings like Sunday afternoon. Such dreariness had been covered up by results before the October break, but it won't be long until the charismatic Dane is feeling the heat if his team endure a slump and similar issues perpetuate. Football supporters are not the patient type.

Frank's current emphasis on risk-aversion and caution is emerging as the meta at the elite level, with Spurs' uninspiring and disjointed performance the sort that plenty of Premier League fanbases have been subject to at the start of 2025/26. The sport is suffering from an entertainment perspective, overall.