Five things we learned from Tottenham’s 2-1 Premier League defeat to Fulham
Spurs fell to yet another home defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Premier League against Fulham, piling the pressure on Thomas Frank who is struggling to steady the ship.
Let’s take a look at the five things we learned from Tottenham 1-2 Fulham:
Tottenham home form leaves Thomas Frank under pressure
Thomas Frank will definitely be feeling the heat now as things are slowly crumbling for the Dane at Tottenham, with yet another derby day defeat making it three losses in the last three London derby encounters.
Not only is it a derby defeat, but it also marks another home loss for Tottenham this season.
Of course, this poor run of home form stretches back to last season and with a defeat to Fulham, it now leaves Tottenham with three home wins from their last 20 games.
Thomas Frank had spoken about wanting to improve on Spurs’ record, but today’s performance was anything but that, as Tottenham’s lack of composure was evident from the first whistle.
So far this season, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has only seen a Tottenham win once, with Wolves the only side to have a worse home record than Spurs.
Thomas Frank’s 4-2-2-2 formation looked dismal in the first half
Thomas Frank looks to be doubling down on this 4-2-2-2 setup as we saw it against PSG and once more for the first time in the Premier League.
However, it was an entirely different outcome in the league. As opposed to the Champions League, where Spurs looked solid at the back with the formation, keeping PSG at bay for most of the first half, in the league, it was the exact opposite.
Spurs were not defensively solid, conceding two in the opening five minutes. In attack, they were also very poor, as they did not manage a shot on target in the first forty-five minutes.
There were signs of improvement in attack when some width was added, as Spurs created more and looked more threatening.
If Frank is to stick with this setup, then he has to ensure there is a proper balance both at the back and up top.
Brennan Johnson uncertainty grows despite manager comments
Ahead of the clash against Fulham, Thomas Frank spoke openly about how Johnson is a player with qualities that can be of use to his Tottenham side.
However, despite his talk, the Welsh international remained an unused substitute throughout the game against London rivals Fulham.
Brennan Johnson was Spurs’ top scorer last season, and with his side chasing a game, one would expect that the Tottenham boss will at least throw him into the mix.
That was not the case, as Tel, Odobert, Sarr and other players were called upon, with the wide forward remaining on the bench despite scoring more times than Odobert and Tel this season for Tottenham.
If he cannot even be used as an impact sub, then the manager’s message is clear: Johnson might not be in his plans.
Micky van de Ven stood out while Tottenham defenders and Guglielmo Vicario struggled
Tottenham were abysmal in this league encounter, but one could still pick a few players who left their hearts on the pitch.
Van de Ven is one such star who was key, particularly in defence for Tottenham. Porro struggled to deal with Chukwueze, Udogie offered nothing going forward, while Danso basically kept things simple at the back.
However, van de Ven was very proactive and even prevented Fulham from going three up with his last-ditch tackle on Chukwueze, who was set to fire into an empty net having beaten Vicario.
Had the other members of the Tottenham backline shown a similar fight to that of the Dutchman, then perhaps Spurs would have come away with all three points.
Randal Kolo Muani impresses and strengthens case to lead the Spurs line
Another player who was good for Spurs was Kolo Muani at the top end of the pitch. The Frenchman showed fight and was willing to chase down loose balls.
He also was not scared to run down the channels and even take his man on when the opportunity came.
Spurs supporters in the ground often cheered the forward’s fighting spirit. He could also have grabbed a goal if his header in the second half had found its way into the bottom corner.
A solid display that will definitely have pushed him up the pecking order, making him a mainstay up front.
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