5th Place in the Standings
Tottenham fans might feel mixed emotions following their 2-2 draw with Manchester United in the Premier League on Saturday. Despite trailing after Bryan Mbeumo’s opening goal, Thomas Frank’s team managed to take the lead in the second half with two goals. However, a last-minute equaliser from Matthijs de Ligt left them with just a point.
While a draw might seem fair, it marks an unfortunate trend for Spurs: they haven’t won a league match at home since the season opener. Currently, after 11 matches, Frank’s revamped squad sits fifth in the table with only five victories. Given their summer transfer spending of €211 million on new players, many are questioning whether the North London club should be achieving better results under their new manager.
Looking at the club’s performance thus far, it’s clear why some Spurs supporters are less than thrilled with Frank’s tenure. With 18 points after 11 league games, Tottenham’s start this season ranks as the fourth worst in the last decade. While Frank has outperformed Mauricio Pochettino’s final season (13 points) and Antonio Conte’s inaugural campaign (16 points), he still trails behind Ange Postecoglou’s first season (26 points). Moreover, the fact that the current Spurs have only accumulated two more points than last season’s squad does little to inspire hope. These statistics reflect the current sentiment surrounding Tottenham: performance may not be abysmal, but Frank’s start in the Premier League hasn’t been explosive.
Analyzing the quality of teams Tottenham faced in their first 11 matches also sheds light on their lackluster performance. Even though they played against formidable opponents like Manchester United, Chelsea, and Manchester City, a significant number of matches were against lower-ranked teams. The average market value of Tottenham’s squad has been approximately €646 million, compared to around €461 million for their opponents, according to Transfermarkt. This indicates that Tottenham boasted a more valuable squad in eight of their first 11 fixtures.
If we assess the outcomes we would expect based on squad values, Frank’s team should realistically have around 24 points by now instead of just 18. This seems accurate when considering that they secured points against wealthier teams, like in their 2-0 victory over Manchester City and the draw with United, but dropped crucial points in losses to Bournemouth and Aston Villa, as well as draws with Brighton and Wolves. Consequently, there’s a growing sense that Frank’s squad isn’t fully capitalizing on the talent available to them.
Critics of Frank often cite injuries as a significant issue for this season’s Spurs squad. While there have been notable absences, the situation might not be as dire as some suggest. As indicated in the accompanying table, only two of Tottenham’s 15 most valuable players (Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison) have missed every league match thus far, with star striker Dominic Solanke sidelined for 82% of the games. Additionally, Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie have missed 18% and 23% of league matches, respectively, taking a toll on last season’s strongest lineup.
Nonetheless, with new arrivals like Xavi Simons and Mohammed Kudus stepping in for the injured Maddison and Kulusevski, the only significant loss affecting Frank’s optimal lineup is Solanke and his goal-scoring prowess. Even so, Frank has options in Mathys Tel, Richarlison, and new signing Randal Kolo Muani to fill the void. Therefore, while injuries are a factor, the data doesn’t overwhelmingly suggest that Tottenham’s struggles under Frank are solely due to a lack of available players. Overall, it appears Frank’s side has room for improvement regardless of the injuries.
