It has been a trying season already for new Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank, and while the Danish manager has brought some positives to the table by having them in fifth coming into the North London Derby, he's quickly thrown away all of that good will in one fell swoop.
In truth, Frank's positives have been more down to luck than tactics, and he's been embarrassed in far too many Premier League matches this season to ignore. It's telling that he went all out defensive in Tottenham's two biggest matches of the season, losing 1-0 to Chelsea in what should have been a 5-0 blowout before losing 4-1 to Arsenal in a similarly putrid performance.
There were believers in Frank from the get go, and Spurs fans didn't hold it against their new manager that they were still upset with how Daniel Levy pushed Ange Postecoglou out after they brought him the Europa League title. Instead, they acknowledged that Postecoglou had serious flaws and that they finished 17th, and they were willing to give Frank a chance.
Thomas Frank set Tottenham up to fail
And they've still been willing to do so, even after some rough displays and a rather cowardly tactical approach. However, this 4-1 loss to Arsenal is simply unacceptable and very, very difficult to forgive. It is the kind of loss that gets managers fired, and while it is too soon for that to be the case with Frank, there are plenty of Spurs supporters willing to go that direction.
It may seem like a knee jerk reaction, but a 4-1 loss to Arsenal really is that bad for Tottenham. It is the ultimate no go for this organization, and Frank went there by bringing it upon himself. Because it wasn't just the performance itself or the score line, but rather, also how it happened.
Frank set Tottenham up to be super defensive, and yet they still conceded four goals and were completely disorganized, torn to shreds by Arsenal and the man who snubbed them in the summer transfer window, Eberechi Eze. Worse yet, the Tottenham manager egged on Eze's performance with his inane, "Who's Eze?" remark before the match.
Tottenham fans are a patient bunch, but through cowardice and incompetence in the North London Derby, Frank is now in a very precarious position. He is quickly losing the benefit of the doubt, and Tottenham fans are one more calamity away from having their pitchforks fully out.