Under-pressure Tottenham manager Thomas Frank believes he retains the faith of the club’s board after speculation about his future following a string of bad results in a troubled season.
Frank was taunted in chants by Tottenham’s own fans during Saturday’s 2-1 home loss to West Ham that left his team in 14th place in the Premier League and with just one win in its last eight games in all competitions.
A day before facing Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, the Danish coach said in a news conference Monday that he’d had lunch with leading figures at the club, including CEO Vinai Venkatesham.
“I have just been feeling the trust along the way,” said Frank, adding that the current scrutiny was simply “part of the media circus.”
Frank said he had “no doubt” he could win back the support of disgruntled fans who called for his departure during the West Ham game and asked for “resilience” in tough times.
“As I have said many times, as long as we win football matches and make sure we win enough of them, then everyone will support us,” Frank said on the BBC. “It is not about me. It is about supporting each other, supporting the team, the players.”
Lack of creativity
Frank was hired during the offseason, leaving Brentford after nearly a decade to become the replacement for Ange Postecoglou at Spurs. They won the Europa League under Postecoglou to end a 17-year trophy drought but finished in 17th place in the Premier League last season.
Frank was supposed to bring more solidity and tactical discipline to the team. Yet, for many fans, the chaos of Postecoglou’s reign has been replaced by lethargy and a lack of creativity under Frank.
While Tottenham is decently placed in 11th in the 36-club Champions League standings, the team is out of both domestic cups and has won only seven of its 22 Premier League games. Its home form is particularly poor, with six defeats in 11 league matches at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium already.
“If your back is against the wall, you fight,” Frank said. “I am energetic and I fight. It is not about me, we need to win football matches and we need to do that together.”
Injury issues
Frank said Tottenham would have just 11 senior outfield players available against Dortmund because of injuries or suspensions.
“We probably have three players that need to push massively to get through 90 minutes physically,” Frank added.
“We need everyone to support us from minute one. Especially the team, especially the players. If we get that support, anything can happen. Magic can happen.”
Tel removed
Tottenham has removed French striker Mathys Tel from its Champions League squad to accommodate the return of fit-again Dominic Solanke.
“It was not a nice decision to have to make, but unfortunately that is football,” Frank said.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Steve Douglas, The Associated Press
