More changes for Spurs but can Frank bring the consistency they lacked last season? – season preview | OneFootball

mTottenham’s long wait for a trophy ended last season, but it could not save Ange Postecoglou’s job after a dismal Premier League campaign.

Thomas Frank has been appointed as his successor, bringing with him an impressive résumé of winning promotion with Brentford and keeping them in the top flight four seasons in a row while steering them well clear of the relegation zone.

A valiant performance against PSG in the Super Cup provided some encouragement for Frank’s new-look Tottenham, despite their defeat on penalties.

Ange Postecoglou side’s win against Manchester United in May to win the Europa League will go down in Spurs history, but their performance in the Premier League will also not be forgotten quickly.

22 losses, 65 goals conceded and ultimately a 17th placed finish meant that Postecoglou was sacked and Frank was brought in as his successor.

There were mitigating circumstances for the Australian, key players including Micky Van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Guglielmo Vicario and many more suffered long term injuries. Spurs ended up having to use four different goalkeepers over the course of the season.

There were also other issues for Tottenham over the course of the season.

Heung-Min Son was prolific for Spurs for a decade but last season his output slowed down. He did not even start the Europa League final despite being fit, with Richarlison preferred on the left instead.

The man that scored 127 Premier League goals for Tottenham and captained the side only managed nine in the league – a decrease from the 23 that won him the golden boot in the 2021-22 season. He has since left for LAFC and while his form dipped during the last campaign, it will still be a big challenge to cope without their former captain.

Mohammed Kudus has been brought in from West Ham to replace the former captain and impressed in the Super Cup against PSG. He played in a front two with Richarlison and looked a real threat with his direct approach.

Defensive midfield was another concern last season. Yves Bissouma began the season by being suspended by Postecoglou for their opening match in August against Leicester City because he posted a video of himself inhaling laughing gas. He has again started the season in similar fashion, being left out of the squad for Tottenham’s match against PSG because of persistent lateness in pre-season.

Rodrigo Bentancur also did not have his best season last year, and Spurs have looked to address the issue this summer by bringing Joao Palhinha in on loan from Bayern Munich. The former Fulham midfielder has gained a reputation for being tough tackling and bringing solidity in the middle of the park.

The differences between Postecoglou and Frank were already on show during Tottenham’s loss to PSG. The Dane lined up with a 3-5-2 formation looking to soak up the pressure from the French side and play the ball long to the front two and counter-attack.

Frank will want his side to play attacking football, but not at the expense of giving up chances to the opposition. The same could not always be said for Postecoglou.

The new Spurs boss was dealt a blow in pre-season, however, when James Maddison suffered an ACL injury against Arsenal, Dejan Kulusevski has also been out since May after he had knee surgery so Spurs are still light in the number ten position. They have been linked with Eberechi Eze this summer but Arsenal have also been looking at bring him in.

Tottenham have also lost Timo Werner and Son out wide and only brought in Kudus so far. They have been linked to Savinho from Manchester City, who got 11 assists for the Citizens last season and his quality would bolster Frank’s squad.

There is still a lot of uncertainty for the club this season and there is still work to do on the squad, while Frank is unproven at the top level. But it certainly cannot get any worse in the Premier League compared with last season.