Why Frank's ‘special operation' offered promise even if Tottenham succumbed at the last

New York Times

2 days ago

In the immediate aftermath of Tottenham Hotspur's 4-0 loss against Bayern Munich last week, new head coach Thomas Frank turned his thoughts to how they could beat the Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup.
He came up with a tactical blueprint based around a compact 3-5-2 formation, clever set-piece routines and an aggressive press.
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It worked perfectly in Udine on Wednesday night until the 85th minute. Spurs threw away a two-goal lead in those last few minutes and then lost on penalties to PSG.
'I knew we had to do something a little bit different,' Frank said as a digested a near miss. 'It was a special operation. In medical terms, the operation succeeded but the patient died.'
Many will focus on how Spurs let the opportunity to win another trophy slip through their fingers, but this was an encouraging and impressive performance in Frank's first competitive game in charge.
Here, The Athletic breaks down Spurs' approach and what it could mean for the rest of the season.
Exactly four years ago, Frank led Brentford to a famous 2-0 victory over Arsenal on the opening day of the 2021-22 season. He used a 3-5-2 system with Bryan Mbeumo and Ivan Toney up front. Goalkeeper David Raya would pump the ball long and Toney and Mbeumo would chase any flick-ons.
Frank returned to this playbook on Wednesday evening in Italy — just switch out those names for Guglielmo Vicario, Richarlison and Mohammed Kudus.
Spurs shifted into a back five out of possession which meant the pockets of space were limited into which Bradley Barcola, Ousmane Dembele and Khivcha Kvaratskhelia could dart. There were multiple occasions in the first half when Vitinha and Desire Doue passed the ball around the edge of the box and were then dispossessed by Joao Palhinha, Rodrigo Bentancur or Pape Sarr.
Spurs would then spring a counter and, in the 23rd minute, it led to Lucas Chevalier tipping Richarlison's shot over the bar.
Do not expect to see this tactic every week, but when Spurs come up against teams who are expected to dominate possession, especially in the Champions League, they can revert to it. Then as Frank grows with this squad, they will hopefully become more confident on the ball and control games against top quality-opposition.
There is something funny about the first two goals of the Frank era coming from set-pieces. Ange Postecoglou, Frank's predecessor, did not care about set-pieces and compared them to a scrum in rugby, but PSG could not cope with what Tottenham mustered in Udine.
There was a lot of variety to the routines. In the second half, Kudus took a free kick quickly and then chipped a cross towards Kevin Danso. Micky van de Ven's goal came from a sneaky tactic which saw new captain Cristian Romero peel towards the edge of the box and head the ball back into a dangerous area from Vicario's free kick.
Danso launched long throw-ins into the box. Porro whipped in-swinging deliveries towards Bentancur and Romero. Danso and Van de Ven blocked other players from marking their team-mates. PSG's defence could not keep up with the schemes devised by set-piece coach Andreas Georgson.
Frank needs to find other ways for this team to create chances but the chaos they can cause from set-pieces is fantastic and an asset.
Who needs a shiny new playmaker when you have a rough and rugged midfield which rolls over the opposition?
Sarr, Bentancur and Palhinha might not be the most technical combination but they give Spurs a lot of energy and aggression.
Palhinha put a dreadful performance against his parent club Bayern behind him and demonstrated why he is the No 6 Spurs have craved over the last few years. In the ninth minute, Barcola skipped past Danso but the Portuguese midfielder tracked back and pinched the ball. Danso even accidentally clattered into him in the process, but he quickly shrugged it off.
Something similar happened just before half-time and, on that occasion, Palhinha blocked Barcola's cross. The Portugal international offers the defence a layer of protection they sorely lacked last year and allows Bentancur to push up slightly higher.
Sarr has probably been the best performer since Frank arrived. He repeatedly pinched the ball off Vitinha and constantly threw himself into duels. Sarr and Bentancur had mixed seasons last year but they already look like they could reach a new level under Frank.
Brennan Johnson, the hero of Tottenham's Europa League final victory over Manchester United, did not feature at all against PSG. He was their top goalscorer in all competitions last season but now faces a battle with Kudus to start every week.
This system suits Kudus slightly better than Johnson. The Ghana international is wiry and full of tricks. He was excellent at holding the ball up under pressure from multiple defenders and either winning a free kick or driving forward. When Kudus was substituted for Mathys Tel with 10 minutes left, Tottenham lost an outlet. PSG were able to push them back further and keep piling on the pressure.
Richarlison produced a good performance, too. The 28-year-old could be invaluable to Frank if he stays fit. Richarlison kept harassing his international team-mate Marquinhos and disrupting any attempt to play out from the back. He burst through on the counter a couple of times and was unfortunate not to receive more support.
If there was one criticism about Frank's game plan, it would be that Spurs sank far too deep towards the end.
Lee Kang-in came off the bench and started drifting towards the right. Djed Spence had to cope with Lee, Dembele and Achraf Hakimi flooding his side of the pitch. When Tottenham cleared the ball, PSG quickly recovered it. The Premier League side missed the presence of James Maddison who is so calm under pressure and effectively retains possession or wins a free kick, giving everybody time to reset.
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This has happened to Frank before and it is something he needs to address quickly.
In October 2023, Brentford were beating Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford when Scott McTominay scored twice in stoppage time at the end. A year later, history repeated itself in a 2-1 defeat to Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Frank's special operation was remarkable and deserves a lot of praise, but it still ultimately failed. That said, only minor tweaks will be needed to ensure the patient survives the procedure in future.
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