Although Tottenham Hotspur had a better outcome on Tuesday night against a quality Premier League opponent in Newcastle United, drawing 2-2, it's really tough to say that Thomas Frank had a whole lot to do with it. Spurs were, once again, completely flat coming out of the gates, and for a fourth straight match, they failed to register a single shot on target in the first half, which is simply inexcusable.
And really, Frank had set the Spurs lineup for a disappointment, and without two clutch late goals from captain Cristian Romero, they would have been embarrassed by Newcastle. Frank inexplicably left Xavi Simons out of the starting lineup for the fourth straight matchup, and I don't think any Spurs supporter sees it as a coincidence that four straight Simons benchings correlate with four straight games without a shot on target in the first half.
Simons has been continually snubbed by Frank despite being the team's marquee signing of the last summer transfer window, as Frank has been forcing Lucas Bergvall into an uncomfortable No. 10 role instead. Though, well, Spurs supporters have to take the positive that he's actually playing the talented Swedish international at all.
Mathys Tel has earned better
But Simons isn't the only top talent Frank is snubbing. Mathys Tel scored important goals against Leeds and then Manchester United to cement his status as a key part of the Tottenham rotation and a potential option at the 9.
Well Tel got benched for an impossibly poor Brennan Johnson, who has been one of the team's worst players this season. He was able to at least come into this game in the 76th mintue alongside Richarlison to shake up the front line, but given he was not picked in the last game over Richy, it boggles the mind that Tel, the better player right now with more long term upside, is not seen as the definitively superior option.
Frank isn't showing enough faith in his young players, and as Simons and Tel watch midfielders Bergvall and Archie Gray finally get some trust from the manager, they have to be wondering when it will be their turn to shake up this attack.
Because while Spurs put two past Newcastle and ultimately drew the match, both goals were from a center back, including a late bicycle kick to save the day. That's not sustainable and certainly not a credit to the coaching Frank is doing with an attack that is severely underperforming the talent that is available in the squad.