Thomas Frank has changed the dynamics at Tottenham Hotspur, and though it’s been a tough start to the campaign for the Londoners, we are perhaps seeing shoots of success.
Spurs had only won once across eight matches before Frank challenged his former club, Brentford, and came away with the spoils, thus reviving a fight for European contention. There is much ground still to cover this season, but defeat on home turf against the Bees would have made things tricky indeed.
There was something to be observed about Tottenham’s attacking play, with their xG total against Brentford coming in at 2.18, their highest in the Premier League since the season opener against Burnley in a 3-0 win.
Expected Goals (xG) is a metric designed to measure the probability of a shot resulting in a goal.
But what about the defending? Tottenham have not been as compact and well-drilled at the rearguard this season as may have been anticipated when Frank was appointed. Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, elite centre-backs both, have more to give.
Spurs’ defensive record under Thomas Frank
Before keeping his protege, Keith Andrews, out, Frank watched on as Tottenham conceded 15 goals across five Premier League matches, failing to win any of those games.
At times, Spurs have been something of a shambles at the back. Some of the defending against Fulham just over a week ago would be a case in point.
What is the source of this struggle? Structural problems? A taint lingering from the erratic Ange Postecoglou era?
The main thing is that many of the goals Tottenham have shipped this term have been avoidable – though, aren’t they all?
Tottenham put in an improved defensive display, but Romero and Van de Ven and the rest need to work harder still if they are to rival some of the sternest Spurs defences in modern times. Think Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld. Think Ledley King.
For now, Frank must make do with what he has got, but come next season, he may find he has the north London club’s next version of King ascending to first-team action.
Spurs’ new version of Ledley King
King was quite the defender. Rivalling Harry Kane for the crown of Tottenham’s finest academy graduate of the past three decades, he broke into the first team in 1999, playing the sum of his career at White Hart Lane.
Harry Redknapp once hailed King as “an absolute freak“, so powerful and tenacious in the defensive third.
The former England international was sharp-witted and boasted that rare ability to time things to perfection, his defensive skillset operating on some unerring internal stopwatch.
To have a new prospect emerge and emulate the club icon would be a difficult thing indeed, but in Luka Vuskoic, ENIC Group might just have their man.
Tottenham signed Vuskovic in 2023 and have handed him to Hamburger SV in the Bundesliga on a one-year loan deal. The 18-year-old is thriving in Germany, showing he has the talent to rival someone like King down the line, perhaps even with a more robust and promising skillset than someone like Van de Ven.
Van de Ven can score goals, alright, but so can Vuskovic, the teenage talent showing in Germany this year that he has something of a penchant for the spectacular.
A rare profile, Vuskovic ranks among the top 3% of central defenders in the Bundesliga this season for goals scored, the top 9% for chances created and the top 1% for aerial duel success rate per 90, as per FBref. He has what it takes to be a superstar.
The Premier League is regarded by many to be the toughest league in the world, but it’s interesting to note that Vuskovic is perhaps playing slicker stuff than Spurs’ athletic centre-back, and that bodes well for his future in London.
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League Stats 25/26 – Van de Ven vs Vuskovic |
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|---|---|---|
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Match Stats (* per game) |
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Matches (starts) |
14 (14) |
11 (11) |
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Goals |
3 |
2 |
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Assists |
0 |
0 |
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Clean sheets |
4 |
2 |
|
Touches* |
68.1 |
79.2 |
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Accurate passes* |
52.1 (91%) |
51.0 (86%) |
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Chances created* |
0.1 |
0.6 |
|
Dribbles* |
0.3 |
0.3 |
|
Recoveries* |
3.7 |
4.1 |
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Tackles + interceptions* |
2.2 |
1.5 |
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Clearances* |
3.3 |
8.8 |
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Duels (won)* |
3.1 (48%) |
7.5 (67%) |
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Errors |
2 |
1 |
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Data via Sofascore |
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The fact that Van de Ven has won less than half of his duels in the Premier League this season is an indicator that he needs to do more to stop the rot that has spread.
But such rot is in its early stages, and can be dealt with. Frank has options for the rest of the term, but adding Vuskovic to the mix could inject that King-like presence to help take the project to the next level.
Anylst Ben Mattinson described him as a “freak athlete” and a “freak talent” with a “scary ceiling,” so the echoes between him and King are underscored there.
Whether the Croatian talent adapts to life in the Premier League remains to be seen, but the signs are promising. He could be a centre-half who ends up overtaking two top stars in Van de Ven and Romero, scratching a similar ballpark to someone like King.
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