Overall, Thomas Frank has been more of a positive than a negative for Tottenham Hotspur, and it's easy to forget just how poor Spurs were in the Premier League last season under Ange Postecoglou because of how much the Europa League title triumph emotionally papered over the steady downpour of horrible losses.
Spurs are dropping too many points against opponents they should be beating, though, and so while Frank is more of a positive than a negative, it still feels like he and Spurs are playing well below the standard they should be setting as a club.
There are a few major flaws in what Frank is doing as a coach, but the biggest is the way he's utilizing his young players. Simply put, Frank has a lot of highly promising talents at Tottenham, and he isn't putting them in a position to succeed.
Let's start with the midfield. Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray are two of the most talented young midfielders on the entire planet and have played well whenever given a chance in their preferred roles. Frank has almost never given them starts, with Bergvall's casting aside being particular unforgivable when you look back at how amazing he was in the 2024/25 season - his first as a Spur.
Tottenham's young attackers deserve better
Even Pape Matar Sarr has been cheaped off. The Senegalese international looked like Spurs biggest breakout star to start the season. Now, he's struggling for starts, too, even though, like the others, he's great when he does play. And the Spurs midfield isn't exactly flourishing without him.
Further up, there are still issues. Xavi SImons has been continually screwed over by Frank, forced to the periphery of games because nobody in midfield can get him the ball in dangerous situations. And that, funnily enough, goes back to Frank not playing Gray or Bergvall in the middle of the park. Simons looks like a transfer bust because he's a playmaker with nobody to hook up with, and Frank's surprsingly cowardly tactics are not doing Simons any favors either.
Forwards Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel came up huge recently, bailing Frank out of what would have been a humiliating loss to Manchester United. They were impact subs and have been the best left winger and striker, respectively, on the team this season. Yet they remain fighting for starts with Frank preferring Richarlison, of all people, to seemingly both.
Spurs have a great collection of young talent assembled by the club, and Frank has to do a better job of harnessing it. Between his lineup selection and his conservative coaching style at Spurs, Frank is holding back Spurs young talents from blossoming, and it's affecting the bottom line.