🚨 Tottenham name lineup for UEL semi-final second leg with Bodø/Glimt
Tottenham have named their lineup for tonight's Europa League semi-final second leg clash with Bodø/Glimt.Here is the side Ange Postecoglou has picked for the biggest game of his tenure so far.
How we line up in Bodø 🫡 pic.twitter.com/jm4WH9hTt2
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) May 8, 2025
Spurs hold a 3-1 advantage from the first leg and are big favourites to make the final. What do you think of the team and the game ahead?
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New York Times
33 minutes ago
- New York Times
Tottenham next manager betting: Thomas Frank and Marco Silva frontrunners for Spurs job
For more stories like this click here to follow The Athletic's sports betting section and have them added to your feed. Ange Postecoglou has been sacked, and the powers that be at Tottenham are looking to capitalize on his parting gift of Champions League football. Two favourites have emerged to take over the helm, but they couldn't be more different from each other. Advertisement We'll take a look at why their odds reflect their allure and whether there's value in betting on them. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has reportedly been an admirer of the recruitment models at Brentford and Brighton. With that being the case, why not just hire the manager of one of those clubs? The tricky part with Frank is identifying how much of the Bee's ability to punch above their financial weight all these seasons had to do with him. Managers tend to get a lot of credit for team success, but it's often not that simple. Players have always been the key driver of success and Frank has benefitted from working for a club that excels at turning bargain buys into productive Premier League players. The only real consistent statistical trait of Frank's Brentford sides is that they excel in the end product – in attack and defence. Since their return to the top tier in 2021, the Bees have made it difficult for opponents to consistently generate big chances while being amongst the best at making the most of every shot they take. Frank's sides have never finished worse than seventh in the league in non-penalty expected goals (xG) per shot. This past season was Brentford's stingiest under his tenure as they allowed just 0.09 non-penalty xG per attempt, good enough for second in the league. On the other end of the pitch, the Bees were even better. After being roughly league average in their first season back in the league, Brentford has spent the last three seasons ranking either first or second in non-penalty xG per attempt. For a team that can't drop the GDP of a small country on coveted attackers like other clubs, that's an impressive feat. What's impressive about Frank's run at Brentford is that, whether it's a 3-5-2, a 4-3-3 or any other formation, he's found a way to engineer good shots in attack while forcing bad ones in defence. Spurs, like Brentford, aren't capable of going out and spending above market value on players a manager 'needs' to make his preferred system work. Frank has proven he doesn't need a particular type of footballer. Just get him some good ones, and he'll figure out the rest. This has to be the appeal to Spurs and why Frank is a good bet to be their next manager despite the low odds. Where next, mate? 💼 — Betfair (@Betfair) June 7, 2025 The manager with the next best odds to wind up in North London couldn't be more different from Frank. Silva has been known for his toil and moil, and when it comes to the Portuguese manager, it's a high-pressing, 4-2-3-1 shape or bust. To Silva's credit, he has clearly shown he can make those tactics work. One of the best advertisements for Fulham's current manager is with his previous club: Everton. At the time of his firing, Silva was considered to have stalled Everton's aspirations for Europe. In hindsight, he was stalling the collapse of a club now consistently on the fringes of the relegation fight. But his work at Everton is the double-edged sword of hiring Silva. Advertisement In order to accommodate their new manager's system, the Toffees didn't get Silva one No 10, they got him three: Gylfi Sigurðsson, Davy Klaassen and Wayne Rooney. Silva made it work, but after he was fired in December of 2019 Everton were forced to deal with the fallout of investing a lot of money to acquire players for a manager who had one way of playing. Though the club has been up and down during his tenure, Fulham's results this season have shown the upside of hiring Silva once again. Football wage information is often spotty, but the Cottagers payroll ranked 14th in the league. Thanks in part to getting the most out of players who fit his system perfectly – like Antonee Robinson and Alex Iwobi – Silva had his side competing for European places up until the last month of the season. Fulham ultimately wound up with the 11th-best xG differential per 90 minutes. And that's the reason you look at Silva's odds and see a path. Hire the Portuguese manager, get him the right players and Spurs' performance could exceed their expectations as well. Roberto De Zerbi (16/1) is the antithesis of Frank – a manager who left a club renowned for their data-driven decision-making due to clashes with their approach. Xavi Hernandez (16/1) doesn't looking like an attractive candidate after we all witnessed Hansi Flick completely revitalise Barcelona with mostly the same players. The Mauricio Pochettino odds certainly seem intriguing (25/1) if you are a fan of nostalgia. The problem for Poch fans is the thing that likely would make him available – a sudden departure from the United States national team – is also the reason Spurs may not want him anymore. Every club Pochettino has guided since he's left London has made his success at Tottenham look increasingly circumstantial. Advertisement And bless your heart if you can find the hope in taking Luis Enrique's odds (50/1). But maybe living in Paris and defending your Champions League title with one of the world's most dynamic young rosters is worse than it seems. Betting/Odds links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication. (Photo credit: Alex Davidson / Getty Images)
New York Times
3 hours ago
- New York Times
Thomas Frank led Brentford to new heights. It's no surprise he is the leading contender for Tottenham job
Thomas Frank has been Brentford's figurehead for just under seven years but the 51-year-old is now the leading contender to replace Ange Postecoglou as Tottenham Hotspur's head coach. Frank has overseen one of the most successful periods in Brentford's history. The west London side were mid-table in the Championship when he replaced Dean Smith in October 2018. He guided them to successive play-off finals and they beat Swansea City 2-0 at Wembley in May 2021 to earn promotion to the Premier League at the second attempt. Advertisement Brentford have flourished in the top-flight despite having one of the lowest wage bills. Frank's side finished 13th in their first year and recorded memorable victories over Chelsea and Arsenal. Ivan Toney, David Raya and Bryan Mbeumo blossomed into superstars under Frank's guidance. After finishing ninth the following season, they placed 16th in 2023-24 as they struggled with injuries. But this season they bounced back to record a top-10 finish, coming close to qualifying for Europe for the first time in the club's history. Brentford's rise under Frank has been meteoric, and it is no surprise that Spurs have him in their sights. Spurs lifted their first piece of silverware in 17 years after beating Manchester United in the Europa League final on May 21, but their awful domestic form has been impossible for chairman Daniel Levy to ignore. They suffered 22 defeats and ended Postecoglou's second season 17th in the Premier League. The decision to sack Postecoglou was made on Friday. Frank would need to quickly win over any doubters among the fanbase, but he has endured slow starts in his last two jobs as a head coach. Brondby failed to win any of his opening eight games in charge, while he lost eight of his first 10 matches with Brentford. Frank initially joined Brentford in December 2016 as an assistant and the long-term plan was for him to replace Smith. Two years later, Smith moved to his boyhood club Aston Villa and Frank was promoted. Brentford finished 11th in the 2018-19 campaign and they came third in Frank's first full season. They won eight consecutive games and looked destined to be promoted automatically until they lost their final two matches, which allowed West Bromwich Albion to finish as runners-up behind Leeds United. Brentford lost the 2020 Championship play-off final to local rivals Fulham in extra time. Advertisement They finished third again the following season and lost 1-0 at Bournemouth in the first leg of their Championship play-off semi-final. Before the start of the second leg, Frank ran around Brentford's entire stadium in an attempt to whip the crowd up. When Arnaut Danjuma scored in the fifth minute to give Bournemouth a 2-0 lead on aggregate, Frank smashed a bin on the touchline with his foot. Brentford recovered to win 3-1 and then beat Swansea in the final. He is a much more animated head coach than Postecoglou. He barks out instructions from the technical area and often gestures to his players. He claps when his team cut through the opponent's press. He frequently talks to his assistants and, during breaks in play, will sometimes pull out a tactics board to visually show what he wants from the players. Frank plans his substitutions in advance for each game. He was sent off after Brentford lost to Wolverhampton Wanderers in January 2022 after confronting Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves. The referee Peter Bankes booked Frank, who responded, 'You may as well show me the second yellow (card).' Apart from that incident, he is calmer after a defeat than Postecoglou. Frank will say, 'My body is burning', but he tends to be measured and thoughtful with his responses. Postecoglou was guilty of being grumpy and created unnecessary drama at times. Frank celebrates victories with a glass of red wine and has a strict rule that, whether his team wins or loses, they are given 24 hours to process their emotions before focusing on the next task. He has a 'no d***heads policy', which means a potential new signing's personality is equally as important as their ability. Throughout his reign at Brentford, he repeatedly told the squad about the importance of being 'confident but humble.' Apart from a 3-2 defeat by Everton earlier this year when he experimented with a back three due to an injury crisis, Postecoglou always stuck with a 4-3-3 formation at Spurs. Brentford switched between a 3-5-2 system and 4-3-3 across their first two years in the top-flight under Frank. He would use a 3-5-2 with aggressive wing-backs, which would morph into a back five out of possession, against quality teams who were expected to dominate possession, including Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal. Advertisement For example, left wing-back Rico Henry pushed forward and created multiple goalscoring opportunities in their famous 2-1 victory over Manchester City at the Etihad in November 2022. They had a lot of success with goalkeeper Raya pumping the ball long for Toney, who would flick it on for his strike partner Mbeumo. Frank would sometimes switch to a 3-4-3 if Brentford were losing but rarely uses this tactic now. Yoane Wissa moved to the left wing, Josh Dasilva pushed up on the right and Mbeumo operated as an offensive right wing-back. Frank used this system when Brentford were losing 2-0 to Leicester City on the opening day of the 2022-23 season. Toney scored midway through the second half and Dasilva equalised in the 86th minute. Frank prefers to use 4-3-3 but recognises when subtle tweaks need to be made to benefit everybody. Mikkel Damsgaard excelled and recorded 10 assists this season, operating as the advanced central midfielder in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Damsgaard thrived playing quick balls in behind to the rapid front three of Wissa, Mbeumo and Kevin Schade, who all reached double figures in the league. 'He is very methodical in the way he works, and the level of detail he goes into is the most I've been involved in,' Ben Mee told The Athletic's audio documentary Access All Areas: Brentford in July 2023. 'Technically, tactically, he wants players to know every part of their job and is good at getting his point across. 'He's approachable in ways that maybe others wouldn't be. He's open to ideas, which is great, he's always trying to take things on board from players but ultimately he's got a lot of knowledge about the game. 'I remember speaking to Thomas when we were either losing or drawing in a game. I looked over to him to say, 'Shall I go up for a throw-in?' He said, 'Yeah, always go every single time, no doubt about it.' That is refreshing for me.' Frank used to be a teacher and started his coaching career in Denmark's youth system. He worked for Frederiksvaerk, Hvidovre, B93 and Lyngby before being appointed head coach of Denmark's Under-16s. At Lyngby, Frank crossed paths with Johan Lange, who became Tottenham's technical director in November 2023 after holding a similar position at Aston Villa. While at Villa, Lange had been keen on hiring Frank to replace Steven Gerrard in October 2022. Nearly two decades after they first met, Lange and Frank could be reunited at Spurs. Advertisement Frank managed Denmark at the Under-17 European Championship in 2011, and his squad included future Spurs midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Brentford captain Christian Norgaard. They reached the semi-finals after beating England, who had Raheem Sterling and Jordan Pickford in their starting XI. He has a track record of developing talent, and if he joins Spurs his focus would turn to helping their young stars, including Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray and Mikey Moore, fulfill their vast potential. At Brentford, Frank converted Ollie Watkins from a winger into a centre-forward, helped Toney, Mbeumo and Wissa evolve into elite strikers and persisted with Damsgaard after he struggled with injuries during his first two years in Brentford. Frank has also improved experienced players, including Mee and Pontus Jansson. He even helped former Sweden international Jansson overcome superstitious rituals he followed before matches. The biggest question mark around Frank if he moved clubs would be how he handles the step up in attention and expectation in north London. Tottenham have a packed fixture schedule next season following their qualification for the Champions League. They played 17 more games than Brentford in the 2024-25 campaign, while Frank has no experience of coaching in a European competition apart from the preliminary qualifying rounds of the Europa League with Brondby. His coaching methods will be tested and might require further adaptation. Frank's job has never been under threat during his time at Brentford, even when they went on an eight-game winless run during their first year in the Premier League. He has an excellent relationship with owner Matthew Benham, director of football Phil Giles and technical director Lee Dykes, and admitted once that lots of managers could be a success at Brentford due to the infrastructure, environment and culture which has been led by Giles. Frank did give serious consideration to joining Villa three years ago, and last year he was interviewed by Chelsea and admired by Manchester United. Tottenham have burned through four permanent managers since Mauricio Pochettino was sacked in November 2019 — nobody has lasted more than two years — but Frank has always been ambitious.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Tottenham Hotspur Pushing to Hijack Man United's Move for £60m Premier League Star
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