Thomas Frank
Tottenham Hotspur, under the management of Thomas Frank, find themselves in a pivotal position in the Champions League. Sitting fifth in the league phase, they have already secured a spot in the play-offs. A win against managerless Frankfurt on Wednesday would see them advance to the round of 16. Meanwhile, the club has been navigating through a series of injuries, with Mathys Tel stepping in for Dominic Solanke in their recent victory over Slavia Prague.
Thomas Frank said: “Of course he was disappointed. That’s natural. He’s disappointed but he’s been very professional. He’s a strong character. Mathys has done well for us in many, many ways. It was him or Dom and I chose Dom because of his experience. He did, luckily, very well. But that’s not the same as (saying) I don’t like Mathys at all. He’s started four of the last five games, I think that’s a clear signal that I also trust him and believe that he can do something good for the team and the club.”
Frank continued: “I think UEFA need to modernise those rules in general. When they made the rules we had six group games, now we have eight. Before, we had no games in January. A lot of the group stage was done after four games. Now with the new format you need to fight until the end, more or less, every team. We also have gone up from three to five substitutions, that means you use more players. In general, the matches keep creeping up. For the Euros and the World Cup (we have) bigger squads, so I think we need to look into it. Also the changes we can do after January [for the knockout stages], now it’s only three. I can’t see why that shouldn’t be more, why you can’t change during if you have injuries. We’re not the only club who is struggling with this, definitely not. I know Johan brought it up to the Premier League meeting last year. That’s something that we need to look into which would have helped the situation with Mathys.”
He added: “And going back to that, it’s a football decision, it happens. It’s not that I think it’s nice to make that decision, but I try to make the best decision for the team every single time.”
Frank also provided an update on the squad’s injury situation, noting the return of a key midfielder.
“He’s back here and was on the pitch [on Thursday] to do a little bit,” Frank said. “He’s ready to train and ready for selection for Saturday.”
In light of long-term injuries to Lucas Bergvall and Rodrigo Bentancur, and with Joao Palhinha doubtful, Frank may call upon Yves Bissouma, who has been impressing in training. The Tottenham manager emphasized his good relationship with Bissouma, despite the midfielder falling out of favor earlier in the season.
Frank stated: “That [relationship] has been fine along the way. He’s been pretty unlucky with injuries, more or less throughout the season. So now he’s back, trained very well. I think he had a good impact when he came on the pitch against West Ham. So I’d say fine.”
As Tottenham prepares for their upcoming match against Burnley, Frank expressed confidence in his current squad, highlighting the need for player availability and creativity in team selection.
“No [more moves out]. The players we have in our squad we need to keep, to have enough players to play with and perform with. One thing is the Dortmund game, where we did not have that many available players, it’s difficult to change the game if you need it, or keep the freshness up,” Frank remarked.
Tottenham’s ability to navigate these challenges will be crucial as they aim to secure their place in the Champions League’s next stage.
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