Tottenham Hotspur

Ali Speechly
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Spurs' effectiveness from set-pieces so far this season should come as no surprise.

This is not about hopeful balls into the box or copying the latest trend. This is about Thomas Frank being a details man who surrounds himself with equally technically and tactically astute staff.

While we scored 11 times from set-pieces last season, we have already produced five goals from them under Frank.

In direct contrast to his predecessor, Frank not only understands the technical and tactical detail of set-pieces, but he also believes passionately in their importance - an opinion that has changed during his career, as he has progressed to different clubs and developed his way of coaching.

When you are trying to build something new with people who you are still getting to know, it is a common human and coaching behaviour to go with what you know. Frank knows set-pieces and, perhaps more significantly, he knows an expert in them - Andreas Georgson.

Georgson helped Frank turn Brentford into set-piece specialists during their time together at the club, so when the Swede was also recruited to Spurs in the summer, it made sense that becoming better at attacking and defending set-pieces would be a priority.

Kevin Danso famously won the long throw-in competition in pre-season and is already causing chaos with it in this campaign. Micky van de Ven, someone with exceptional speed, was identified as a player who should be making more of his height and build to really bully opponents at both ends of the pitch. Both were excellent against Everton on Sunday.

Clearly, Spurs cannot rely on set-pieces alone. However, while Frank continues to improve the system so that our attacking players can flourish, being a force to be reckoned with from set-pieces is another valuable layer in a set of increasingly promising foundations.

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Barcelona lead the chase for Marseille's England forward Mason Greenwood, though Tottenham and West Ham are also interested in the 24-year-old. (Teamtalk), external

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Tottenham boss Thomas Frank has been speaking to the media before Wednesday's Carabao Cup fourth-round tie against Newcastle at St James' Park (kick-off 20:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Frank confirmed it was "all good" for the players that featured in Tottenham's win against Everton on Sunday and added: "Dom [Solanke] stepped forward, step by step. Cuti [Cristian Romero] on the pitch today, not a timeframe. Destiny [Udogie] on the pitch as well today, so three steps forward."

• On being better away from home: "It's a relatively small sample. Hopefully at the end of the year it's fantastic away and home. It's a team that's still finding each other, the way we're building we have 14 games with one bad performance against Bournemouth, second half against Wolves and second half against Monaco. In general we're building."

• He said it is "very clear that we are in this game because we love it" when asked whether trophies were set as a target when he took over, adding: "At a club like Tottenham, we do everything we can to win. We're trying to win every tournament we're playing in. Playing against a strong team [in Newcastle], the holders, it's a very difficult place to play but we'll do everything to compete, win and progress."

• The Spurs boss added: "To get to win a trophy, that's very difficult. To sustain it is even harder, but that's the aim. The players here had a fantastic experience last year and are very eager to win again. We are going for it."

• On defender Micky van de Ven: "He's been brilliant for the club since he signed. He's taken his game up a level, he's still very good on the ball and he added headed goals. He's a threat from set-pieces. We have a good contract for him but definitely a player with a big future here."

• He said the team's set-piece coach Andreas Georgson "is doing a top job" and that his players are "really committed" to improving in this area: "We need to be good in every aspects of the game, but set pieces have created a third of all goals I think. So not to spend time on it, be super-focused on details, then defending and attacking those is a major strength and I'm really happy with how we are doing there."

• On squad rotation: "Of course there'll be rotation [when] playing every third or fourth day. If you want to compete over 60 games, you can't play the same XI. So there's a fine balance."

Image source, Opta

It may only be October, but is it already a one-horse Premier League title race?

Arsenal's impressive start to the season - along with their regular Premier League title rivals stumbling - has left Mikel Arteta's side with a 67.34% chance of winning the trophy this season, according to the latest predictions from Opta's Supercomputer.

The Gunners, who have scored the second-most goals and conceded the fewest, have looked in imperious form as they bid to win a first Premier League title since 2004.

Manchester City are their nearest predicted challenger at 12.43%, despite sitting fifth in the table and six points off Arsenal at the top.

Following their 3-2 defeat by Brentford on Saturday - their fourth successive loss in the league - reigning champions Liverpool, who currently sit seventh, have been given the third-best chance of keeping hold of their crown at 11.04%.

They may be second in the table, but the Gunners' nearest challengers Bournemouth have still only been given a 1.47% chance of lifting the Premier League trophy.

A top-four finish and guaranteed Champions League football, however, is rated as a 22.67% chance for the Cherries.

They may be their closest rivals geographically and be third in the league, but Opta does not have Tottenham running Arteta's side all that close for the top-flight crown, with just an eighth-best 1.43% chance.

And what of surprise candidates Sunderland?

They are fourth in the table following their 93rd-minute winner against Chelsea on Saturday, but thoughts of a dream run to the title for fans should be tempered according to the supercomputer.

The promoted side have been given a 0% chance of lifting the trophy and also just a 0.91% chance of staying in the top four. However, the Black Cats' chance of relegation now stand at less than 10% (9.52%).

Image source, Opta

We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Everton and Tottenham Hotspur.

Here are some of your comments:

Everton fans

Mark: We just lack a goalscoring striker. Beto works hard, just not good enough, and we were poor defensively from corners.

Simon: This result is a pretty fair reflection of where the team is at, which is miles off the top half of the league. Until we can start playing through balls behind the opposition defence, we will continue to be an easy team to defend against. We have first-class wingers, but our nine and 10 offer nothing through the middle.

Mike: Everton have become so predictable, and teams have sussed us out very quickly. We are far too slow and ponderous; it's easy to defend.

Ted: We were awful. No centre forward. No creativity. Grealish tried, but was not supported by anyone.

Tottenham fans

Andy: Although we are now riding high in the league, I just can't get excited about this team or its manager. Frank is perfectly content letting the opposition dictate, playing all the positive football whilst we play on the back foot, passing sideways and backwards when we have the ball; hoping at some point to score from a set piece.

Frank: Much better performance. Defence is good, central midfield is excellent. Sarr seems to have an eye for goal play as a forward. As Frank says, it is about building layers, and we need to get the four forwards working with pace. Enjoyed the game.

Tony: Not our best effort, the scoreline is quite flattering, but a win is a win. We need to pass the ball better and at a better tempo. We play too slowly and lost the ball too much.

Danny Murphy
BBC Sport columnist

Supporters like their team to have an identity, and I can already see one at Tottenham under Thomas Frank after less than 10 league games.

At the moment they are a side which is well drilled with a tremendous work ethic and is difficult to beat, and not obsessed with playing out from the back and giving away stupid chances.

I'd also say they are reasonably pragmatic and rely heavily on set-plays, as we saw in their 3-0 win at Everton on Sunday, but there is nothing wrong with that.

Lots of other teams are the same and Spurs have got some big players to aim at, and others who can provide a good delivery.

At the moment it does feel like they are looking for individual brilliance from their forward players in open play to provide the magic moments in games, rather than a system to play through the opposition.

I look at them and think Mohammed Kudus needs some help in that respect, but that help is coming.

The biggest reason I think they will improve, however, is Frank himself.

Read Murphy's full column on Spurs

Pundits Danny Murphy and Theo Walcott join host Kelly Cates to bring you the action and talking points from Sunday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Aston Villa 1-0 Manchester City

• Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace

• Wolves 2-3 Burnley

• Bournemouth 2-0 Nottingham Forest

• Everton 0-3 Tottenham

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank is not impressed with Dominic Solanke, 28, and could look to sell the England striker in January. (Football Insider), external

Bournemouth rejected bids of £50m from Tottenham and Manchester United for 25-year-old Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo in the summer. (Telegraph), external

Tottenham are tracking Porto's 21-year-old Samu Aghehowa, but face competition from Arsenal, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest for the Spain forward. (Caught Offside), external

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Emily Salley
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

After a drab midweek performance in the Champions League against Monaco, where Tottenham mustered a mere two shots on target, Thomas Frank opted for Randal Kolo Muani up front instead of ex-Everton forward Richarlison.

The summer signing was unable to make much of an impact before being substituted for Richarlison after 60 minutes, but it turns out he wasn't needed in the end.

Centre-back Micky Van de Ven transformed into an attacking force to be reckoned with.

Spurs' first goal came from a well-worked corner routine, with Rodrigo Bentancur heading the ball back across the face of goal for an unmarked Van de Ven to head home.

And Ven de Ven - filling in as captain in Cristian Romero's absence - added his second in first-half stoppage time as he rose above Jordan Pickford to nod in.

The Dutchman was equally impressive in defence, combining well with Kevin Danso as the pair dealt excellently with the 34 crosses thrown their way by Everton.

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank spoke to BBC Match of the Day after his side's victory away at Everton: "Very happy to be able to go here to Everton and they've been very good at home. Any away match you win 3-0 in the Premier League is super impressive.

"First half, we took control of the ball and passed more. The second half was more of a dog fight, which it can be in the Premier League. The season is very young. We won after the Champions League and that is not easy to do. Set pieces are so crucial. Right now, Arsenal is on track for the title from set pieces. We scored two very good goals and the boys competed excellently in our box."

On set pieces: "We worked hard on it and so did Micky [van de Ven]. Now he has three headers with two today. Still a lot of things I want to improve in the team. We have a clean sheet mentality, and that gives you a lot of points on the road.

"The second phase of set pieces was so good. The performances were so much more complete."

Spurs defender Micky van de Ven also spoke to BBC Match of the Day: "Special day today. I scored on the other side of the pitch, so the fans were far away from me, so I had to celebrate with them at the end.

"We work on set pieces every day, a little bit and to come away with two today is unbelievable.

On Jake O'Brien's goal being ruled out for Everton: "If you watch it back, then the player blocks Vicario from the offside position, so I think it's fair.

"Today is an important win. The league is really tight and everyone is beating everyone at the moment. It's a really big three points."

On Wednesday's Carabao Cup game: "Newcastle away is always difficult and Chelsea at home is always crazy in our stadium.

On poor home form: "If I knew it, then I would tell you guys. We have a massive game next week and we want to win at home."

Did you know?

• Micky van de Ven became the first defender to score twice in a Premier League game for Tottenham Hotspur since Jan Vertonghen in March 2013, who also did so on Merseyside against Liverpool.

• Tottenham Hotspur have scored with their first shot on target in four of their five Premier League away games this season – Spurs boast the best shot conversion rate in the competition this term (18% - 17/94).

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Everton's performance

What did you make of Spurs' display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Just the one change from Everton boss David Moyes after last weekend's 2-0 defeat by Manchester City.

He brings Jack Grealish back after he was unable to play against his parent club, with Carlos Alcaraz dropping to the bench.

Everton XI: Pickford, O'Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko, Gueye, Garner, Ndiaye, Dewsbury-Hall, Grealish, Beto.

Subs: Travers, McNeil, Barry, Dibling, Alcaraz, Rohl, Aznou, Iroegbunam.

Thomas Frank, meanwhile, makes four changes to his Tottenham side that fell to a 2-1 home loss against Aston Villa.

Former Everton forward Richarlison is replaced by Kolo Muani, while Djed Spence, Xavi Simons, and Brennan Johnson also come back into the side.

Tottenham XI: Vicario, Porro, Danso, Van de Ven, Spence, Palhinha, Bentancur, Simons, Kudus, Johnson, Muani.

Subs: Kinsky, Richarlison, Tel, Gray, Bergvall, Odobert, Sarr, Scarlett, Byfeild.

There are five games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Arsenal v Crystal Palace - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Aston Villa v Man City - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Bournemouth v Nottingham Forest - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• Wolves v Burnley - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3

• Everton v Tottenham (16:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 14:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

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Tottenham have become a more versatile side under Thomas Frank, able to set up to suit the opposition, but I don't feel as if they are ever clinical enough in the final third.

It is a similar story with Everton. I always feel they have a goal in them, just not from the centre-forward, whether it is Beto or Thierno Barry leading their attack.

It must be frustrating for Toffees manager David Moyes but being realistic, who can they attract, or afford, who would make a difference up front?

All of that makes me think this is going to be a tight game, and I don't think there will be a winner.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist

Everton are unbeaten so far in five games at Hill Dickinson Stadium and they next put that record on the line against a Tottenham side who have won more away points than any other team this season.

While Everton's home form has been strong, the 2-0 defeat at Manchester City last weekend highlighted familiar problems up front.

Everton's current two strikers, Beto and Thierno Barry, have scored one goal between them in 16 Premier League appearances this season.

Beto, who joined from Udinese for £21.5m two years ago, had an excellent chance to score early on at Etihad Stadium, narrowly failing to convert a low cross into an open goal.

The Guinea-Bissau international is underperforming his expected goals tally more than any other Premier League player bar Jean-Philippe Mateta this season - but whereas the Crystal Palace forward has still scored five Premier League goals, Beto has scored just one in eight appearances.

Barry, a £27.5m summer signing from Villarreal, is understandably taking time to adjust to the pace of Premier League football in only his second campaign in a top European league.

What may help the Toffees this weekend, as they attempt to win back-to-back Premier League meetings with Tottenham for the first time since manager David Moyes' first spell with the club, is the return of Jack Grealish.

The on-loan England international was ineligible to face parent club City last Saturday and Everton's attacking numbers - albeit in a tough assignment away from home - dropped off.

The Toffees average 13 shots and four on target per game with Grealish in the side in the Premier League this season but they managed just five shots, and one on target, against Pep Guardiola's side.

Tottenham's tally of 10 points from their opening four away matches is the highest of any side, beating Manchester City, West Ham United and Leeds United.

The 2-1 home defeat by Aston Villa last weekend, however, highlighted an ongoing vulnerability that will be familiar to Spurs' supporters.

Since the start of 2024-25, Tottenham have lost eight Premier League matches when scoring first - the joint most of any team along with Fulham.

And while fans may associate such setbacks with the reign of Ange Postecoglou, current Spurs head coach Thomas Frank has his own history of letting leads slip.

Over the same period, Frank has lost six games after scoring first - with Brentford and Spurs - with only Postecoglou and Fulham boss Marco Silva doing so more often.

Tottenham will also have to contend with a quicker turnaround following a Champions League result on Wednesday that may be less familiar in its circumstances - the 0-0 draw at Monaco was Tottenham's first goalless draw in 126 games in all competitions.

Melissa Edwards
BBC Sport journalist

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Everton at Hill Dickinson Stadium (kick-off 16:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie are still unavailable with "no timeframe" for their returns - but neither are far away.

• Dominic Solanke has been out since August after appearing in the win against Manchester City but is "taking steps in the right direction" after spending time "on the grass" on Friday.

• Frank said it would be "lovely" to use the striker along with the also-injured Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison, but the club are trying to get a "flow" with their frontline.

• Randal Kolo Muani appeared as a substitute on Wednesday against Monaco but Frank confirmed the forward is not ready to be "bombarded with 90 minutes".

• On Pape Matar Sarr not playing much recently, he said: "There is nothing wrong with him. He was a very good player for us in the first six games. We rested him as a precaution before but [it is] competition, other players have done well. He has impressed me a lot though."

• Following discussions about the effectiveness of midfield duo of Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur, Frank says he is "happy" with the pair and "people can look at whatever they want".

• On the rise in set-pieces and long throw-ins across the Premier League: "This season I have seen a crazy peak in it. I like it. Whatever you can do to create an advantage and an extra threat, you need to look into it. You can talk about styles but I'm looking at maximising the opportunity to score goals."

• On facing Everton, he said: "I think Everton is a very good team, not just [Jack] Grealish. A good colleague and friend of mine David Moyes is there - someone who I respect a lot and his teams are always hard to beat. He has got Grealish able to flourish again."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Listen to live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live from 16:30 GMT on Sunday

Everton are ready to move to re-sign Brazil forward Richarlison, with Tottenham considering putting the 28-year-old on the market in January. (TeamTalk), external

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Bardi
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Tottenham's European adventure stumbled into the high stakes setting of Monte Carlo with a lot of bravado and promise, but holding very little.

They spent 90 minutes bluffing their way through a tough evening and only thanks to the shotstopping ability of Vicario were they able to break even.

There's been a lot of chatter that Spurs play better against better teams, but that line didn't ring true on Wednesday night. Monaco were better, and played better, and instead of raising their game Spurs hung on.

The result in cold isolation isn't a bad one: Monaco have a great home record, recently drawing 2-2 with Manchester City, and Thomas Frank is the first manager in our history to not lose any of his first four European fixtures.

Despite the positive record, a worrying identity crisis is forming.

Right now we are neither attacking, nor defensive.

We don't sit deep, and there is no structure to our press. We back off the opposition and invite them to shoot, and we seem unable to defend our penalty box.

In the moments we do hold on to the ball, we fling it out to Kudus and demand he rolls a double six to bring the house down.

For a manager we thought had a plan and ways of working, the current structure feels disconnected and overly reliant on moments of individual brilliance, rather than a cohesive system.

However, it's not all doom and gloom. Even on a frustrating night, we saw flashes of genuine quality that hint at a better future.

Randal Kolo Muani's cameo showed us how a top class number nine can link our forward line with the other bodies on the pitch.

Archie Gray demonstrated that he can carry, pass, and offer something other than sideways shuffles in centre midfield, and Palhinha's tackles, which are still echoing around the principality, remain some of the greatest things I've ever seen.

And after a torrid weekend, Vicario stood tall, reminding us with every save that despite any technical faults, he remains a top class shot stopper.

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Tom McCoy
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Tottenham supporters haven't been accustomed to goalless draws in recent years, with the result against Monaco their first 0-0 for 959 days.

Their last stalemate came during the final month of Antonio Conte's reign in March 2023 and was an especially frustrating one, as it resulted in Spurs meekly bowing out of the Champions League against AC Milan 1-0 on aggregate.

None of their subsequent 125 matches ended without a goal, with only 22 of those finishing in score draws.

Most of those games came under Ange Postecoglou, whose cavalier attacking style often frustrated Spurs fans but rarely bored them

Might that be the case more often under his more pragmatic successor Thomas Frank?

Since making his managerial debut in the Premier League in 2021, the Dane has overseen 11 goalless draws in the competition – with only Sean Dyche registering more.

We asked for your views on Tottenham's 0-0 draw with Monaco in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Here are some of your comments:

Noah: Awful just awful. The only positive was that the match eventually finished and we didn't have to watch it anymore.

Frank: Yet again Spurs failed to create any meaningful chances to score. Very lucky to escape with a clean sheet thanks in the main to Vicario's top-class performance. Pedro Porro had one of his worst games, couldn't get a pass to connect with a team-mate. We need Solanke back and a spark from someone in midfield soon please.

Johna: Thomas is in cloud cuckoo land if he thinks it was a well-earned point. We were dismal beyond comprehension. Our performances are getting worse. We will not make the knockout stages of the Champions League, neither will we finish in the top half of the Premier League. Something needs to change drastically or we are heading for another terrible season.

Jerry: Yet another in what is now a concerning sequence of poor performances. There is little sign of any creativity or attacking threat in this team and many of our players are either poor or are being made to look poor by the tactics and coaching. As I said months ago, we should have gone for Oliver Glasner.

James: One of the worst displays I've seen in a long time. We looked like a team who'd never played together before. Our midfield really needs sorting. Our attack really needs sorting. At least we got a point.

Ron: Every manager that goes to Spurs, regardless of reputation and past glories for some reason, falls flat on their face and Frank is going to be the next casualty. Watching Spurs is painful.