Tottenham Hotspur‘s belated show of spirit may keep the wolf from head coach Thomas Frank’s door a little longer, but a damaging FA Cup defeat reaffirms the lingering belief his time in charge is only heading one way.
If there is scant consolation for Frank after Spurs slumped to a 2-1 third-round loss at home to Aston Villa, it is that the mood at the end was nowhere near as ugly as it threatened to be at half-time.
Dig beneath that and – barring a trip to Fantasyland in which Spurs win the Champions League – the rest of this season is now a quest for respectability, and for Frank, survival.
Spurs supporters sent their team off at the interval with deafening jeers ringing in their ears after they were brushed aside by a vastly superior Villa, who established a fully deserved 2-0 advantage.
Such was the lack of hope that thousands of seats inside the vast Tottenham Hotspur Stadium remained empty for even longer than usual at the start of the second half, fans resigned to Spurs’ fate after a dismal first 45 minutes in which they conceded goals to Emiliano Buendia and Morgan Rogers.
It was deeply uncomfortable for Frank, who not only felt the full fury of the Spurs fans he is failing to convince, but also the taunts of thousands of travelling Villa supporters revelling in his misery.
As well as the time-honoured “You’re getting sacked in the morning”, he heard chants of “Thomas Frank is an Arsenal fan” after he was inadvertently pictured drinking from a Gunners-branded coffee cup before the Premier League defeat at Bournemouth.
Helped by complacency from Villa, who came out for the second half looking like their work was done, Spurs at least competed and poured forward, with Wilson Odobert’s 54th-minute goal offering a lifeline.
The stadium threw its support behind their team, who finally posed a threat, although too often it was frenzied rather than composed when opportunities arose.
Frank clutched at what was offered by that improvement, telling BBC Match of the Day: “The second half is the one we take away going forward. It’s what we would like to be. The energy, intensity, playing forward, being aggressive. We were dominating and created chances.
“Unfortunately we couldn’t score the second goal which would have given us an extra opportunity in the extra time. It’s always about trying to put two good halves together – that’s the aim.”
In the wider context, though, this was another bad day for Frank and Spurs, a club that always has big aspirations in the FA Cup.
Spurs are 14th in the Premier League and now out of this competition. Frank does not have the belief or support of many fans, meaning this was the latest day of disappointment for the head coach.
The reaction at half-time was highly toxic. The second half at least spared Frank a repeat at the end. It was more sweat than style, but still not enough to make up for the glaring inferiority and inadequacies of the first half.
A melee involving both sides’ players and staff drew attention from the home support’s disappointed reaction – Spurs were unhappy with Villa’s celebrations in front of their elated fans, especially Ollie Watkins in close proximity to Joao Palhinha, who then clashed with Rogers.
“I think it’s good passion. But we shouldn’t be bringing this passion only when we are behind,” said Spurs defender Micky van de Ven.
“If we start a game like this, it will be a whole different game. We were nowhere near in the first half like what we did in the second. We need to do this for the full 90 minutes. Then we will be a totally different team.
“We have had too many ups and downs. We have too many games that we play at a good level and then there are games where we are way below our level. That’s what we need to work on and be more consistent.”
Frank has not been blessed with much good fortune aside from his own difficulties, with striker Richarlison suffering a hamstring injury as he chased with Villa defender Ezri Konsa in the first half.
In the past week, Spurs have also lost Mohammed Kudus, Lucas Bergvall and Rodrigo Bentancur to muscle problems.
The Danish manager told Match of the Day: “I under the frustrations. The fans were amazing in the second half. That unity together – the fans and players – everyone was full of energy and feeding off each other.
“We need to think how can we come out aggressive enough and with passion and how can the fans push us forward in spells when we are a little bit down, which will come in every football match.
“We have a very tough spell. We need to regroup and continue to try to put two very good halves together with very good intensity.”
Frank’s problem is that he has been unable to inspire his players into producing complete performances, meaning his hold on his job is loosened with every loss.
He believes he still has the club’s backing, saying: “Completely feel the support. No doubt about that. Of course we are disappointed by the result and the fact that we don’t have better results. We need to put more and better performances together and keep pushing forward.”
Commendable optimism, but reality dictates that Frank needs wins and needs them fast, with currently little enthusiasm for his methods among the Spurs fanbase, a disconnect that undermines any head coach.
Frank now has four games which will surely shape his future – at home to struggling West Ham and at Burnley in the Premier League, plus hosting Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League and testing trip to Eintracht Frankfurt.
If Frank fails to oversee an upturn in that spell, he may find the patience and backing he believes he has from the Spurs hierarchy put to the test.
