IT IS only early days into Thomas Frank’s reign as Tottenham manager but already the signs are hugely encouraging for the club’s long-suffering fans.
And the £52million signing of Xavi Simons has ramped up expectations of what could be possible this season.
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Ange Postecoglou was given the sack by Daniel Levy at the end of last season despite Spurs’ historic victory in the Europa League final over Man United.
And Brentford boss Frank was poached to finally bring a sense of calm and organisation to the Premier League side.
Postecoglou was given to boot because the club struggled hugely in the Premier League to finish in 17th place, just one spot above the relegation zone,
Frank’s impact however has been immediate.
They came painfully close to beating PSG in the Super Cup final when the French champions battled back from being 2-0 down to draw 2-2 and then win the subsequent penalty shoot-out.
And now Spurs are just one of only three teams with a 100% record, the others being Liverpool and Arsenal.
Plus they have added Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig into the mix to add more creativity.
In two Premier League games, Tottenham have yet to concede a single goal, and they were particularly impressive in blunting Man City’s prestigious attack in a statement 2-0 win at The Etihad last weekend.
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Under Frank, Spurs are a very different animal than they were under his gung-ho predecessor Postecoglou.
Frank is known for his tactical flexibility, and he’s used two different formations in his first three games.
Spurs lined up in a 5-3-2 in the Super Cup final against PSG but have adopted Frank’s more familiar 4-3-3 in the league.
Where does Simons fit?
Dutch international Simons is most likely to play on the left of Frank’s front three in the 4-3-3 system, where he can cut inside to use his favoured right foot.
The former Barcelona academy star possesses the pace and one-on-one ability to trouble any fullback.
Simons is an explosive and agile dribbler with a low centre of gravity, allowing him to navigate tight spaces with exceptional ball control and manipulation
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But he could also slot into the No10 role in a 5-3-2 line-up.
His exceptional vision, intricate dribbling in tight spaces, and penchant for playing decisive through balls could be crucial to breaking down opposition defences.
Simons is adept at playing incisive through balls and creative final passes to break down opponents.
His ability to execute passes with the outside of his boot adds an element of unpredictability to his game.
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Also Simons’ relentless pressing and high work rate, attributes honed during his time at RB Leipzig, align perfectly with Frank’s demand for aggressive out-of-possession play.
His flexibility and creativity are key attributes for Frank.
This provides Frank with the flexibility to alter his team’s shape mid-game, a hallmark of his managerial style.
Due to his close control and willingness to take on defenders, he frequently draws fouls, creating valuable set-piece opportunities for his team, which have been a key component of Frank’s teams in the past.
Simons’ technical prowess in dead-ball situations will provide another potent weapon in Tottenham’s arsenal.
Whether starting wide and drifting centrally or operating as a more traditional winger, Simons could prove to be one of the signings of the summer.
And he will come into a Spurs side that are showing many signs of improvement under the leadership of Danish coach Frank.
They are playing an intriguing and extremely effective brand of football.
Here are some of the key ways that Frank has improved this Spurs team to make them unrecognisable from last season.
Man-to-man marking
Last season, under Postecoglou, Spurs set up in a very structured and consistent system both with and without the ball.
They played a 4-2-3-1 shape that was very narrow.
And without the ball they wanted to sit in that shape and try to force the opposition to play central passes into areas where Spurs could then press and win the ball back high.
The issue, however, was that this system of play was too structured and there was consistently space either wide or high that opposition teams could exploit to outplay the bulk of Spurs’ defensive structure.
Under Frank we are already seeing a significant shift in the way Spurs defend, and this was very obvious in the victory over Man City.
Frank wants his team to be more aggressive against the ball and to defend in more of a man-to-man structure.
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He was happy to leave Cristian Romero 1v1 against Erling Haaland as it meant that they could defend high and man-to-man to stop City from being able to build from the back and easily progress the ball.
Here Spurs have six players high and Haaland ends up coming back towards the ball to receive.
Instead of allowing the Norwegian striker to receive easily we see Romero follows him deep into the City half and immediately applies pressure.
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In this example we can see an example where Spurs have six players high and Haaland ends up coming back towards the ball to receive.
Instead of allowing the Norwegian striker to receive easily we see Romero following him deep into the City half and immediately applying pressure.
We have consistently seen this kind of pressing and defensive structure under Frank, even in the against PSG in which they ran the Champions League winners close.
And it is a system that carries some risk. If the opposition are able to come out past the initial press then they can create with more direct passes into space for example.
So far, however, the high press and the ability of the likes of Micky van de Ven to cover large amounts of space with his blistering pace have effectively negated any threat from the opposition.
The bravery to play this high and with this much aggression is a mark of Frank’s style of play and we saw similar when he was at Brentford.
The difference at Spurs is that they have a higher standard of player.
It has been interesting to see the way that the midfield has been set up to also play man-to-man and be aggressive.
We have seen several different players already used in the three man midfield but they have consistently played high and controlled the centre of the pitch.
This time it is Van de Ven who presses and jumps aggressively to stop a City attack.
Once again City are looking to play the ball out to find an advanced player coming back towards the ball. Spurs, though, are incredibly aggressive in coming back to win these duels.
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Spurs are defending in an extremely brave and aggressive manner with the man-to-man system.
This is only going to be effective, however, when they are pressing aggressively from the front.
High and aggressive press
Last season Spurs were caught almost in two minds against the ball under Postecoglou.
They were never consistent with the way that they pressed and looked to prevent the opposition from being able to attack.
All too often they were extremely passive in terms of being content to sit in their narrow defensive block and to allow the opposition to have possession and to build from the back.
This will certainly not be the case under Frank.
There was a sense before the start of the season that Spurs would need to add another striker to their squad but so far Brazil striker Richarlison is very much staking his claim to be first choice under the new coach.
Central to the performances from Richarlison so far this season has been his work rate and willingness to take it upon himself to lead the press and be aggressive against the ball.
He leads the press but Frank wants to commit many players forward to press very high and to squeeze the opposition back in towards their own area.
In this example Spurs have just lost possession and they immediately look to counter press and be aggressive to prevent Burnley from playing forward too easily.
They press and engage man-to-man and look to force situations where they can win the ball back early and high.
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While Spurs will press high and be aggressive when the opposition are looking to build their attack they also counter press really effectively when they lose possession.
The trigger player is again Richarlison who presses aggressively and quickly.
What is really interesting when watching this version of Spurs, however, is the fact that they are consistently positioned to control the game even when they are attacking.
They always have controlling players underneath the attacking structure and these players are positioned to defend quick transitions from the opposition.
It is absolutely clear and obvious from watching the first few matches of Spurs under Frank that there has been a lot of work put in on the training ground on their shape – both in and out of possession.
They are flexible and effective in their approach to both and the difference from the very passive and structured style under Postecoglou is painfully obvious.
Again here Spurs are positioned to press high and to prevent City from being able to play out from the back comfortably.
They are controlling space and pushing players into advanced areas to squeeze the game.
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With the combination of man to man marking and high and aggressive pressing we have seen Frank set his Spurs team up as a side that will be horrible to play against.
More direct approach in possession
When Spurs were in possession and looking to create their attacking moments last season under Postecoglou the passing patterns and style of play was predictable and slow.
They looked to create superiorities centrally and to play from the back and through the thirds in a very safe manner.
So far under Frank we have seen a notable change in approach.
The ball is moved from back to front much more quickly and players stay high and wide to stretch the pitch and give the opposition different dangers to defend against.
This does not mean, however, that Spurs are playing long ball football and there is still quality in their attacking approach.
Once again Richarlison has been key to this approach with his ability to come back to receive these passes and then with his strength to hold the ball under pressure and then connect the play.
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Here Richarlison drops back to receive a more direct pass and he controls under pressure.
You can immediately see that Spurs have two players high and wide already in their attacking shape.
Richarlison is able to take possession of the ball and link back helping his team to get up the pitch quickly.
These direct passes are intelligent and Frank wants his team to play into space as often as they can as this allows them to quickly outplay the initial press from the opposition and create overloads in the attacking third.
The wide attackers and fullbacks for Spurs will have to get forward quickly to support the attack and to give Richarlison players to combine with as he receives the ball.
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Once again we see Richarlison coming back to receive the ball and the pass plays though the initial press and layers of the opposition press and defensive structure.
Tottenham have numbers high and in the wide areas to help support the attack.
Under Frank we will see Spurs make life very difficult for the opposition as they will move the ball quickly and not let teams regain their defensive structure.
Conclusion
We have to be clear that it is very early in the development of this Spurs team under new manager Frank.
Yet it is fair to say that the early signs are very promising.
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Both in and out of possession they look more prepared and better coached than we have seen them for some time.
Although the decision to sack Postecoglou just days after winning the Europa League in May seemed harsh at the time, perhaps Daniel Levy made a smart play in recruiting Frank to cure some of Spurs’ woes.
