Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank has admitted his team are "not a quick fix" following a dismal 3-0 defeat away to Nottingham Forest. This result marks a new low in a concerning run of form that has seen the club win just once in their last seven Premier League matches, plunging them to 11th in the table.
A Season Unravelling at Alarming Speed
The contrast with the campaign's optimistic start is stark. After a narrow Super Cup penalty shootout loss to Paris Saint-Germain and a statement away victory at Manchester City, hopes were high. Fast forward to the present, and Spurs have registered their lowest points tally after 16 games since 2008, with a mere 22 points. While the compact league table means they are only four points off fifth, the trajectory is deeply worrying.
The problems are both in results and performances. The team's creative output has dried up alarmingly; they have recorded an expected goals (xG) figure of 1 or above in only two of their last eleven outings. This season, they have sunk to an xG of 0.3 or below in four separate matches, including the losses to Arsenal, Chelsea, Brentford, and now Forest.
Defensive Frailties and a Confidence Crisis
While injuries to key attackers like Dominic Solanke, James Maddison, and Dejan Kulusevski are a mitigating factor, the summer transfer spend of around £140 million on Xavi Simons, Mohammed Kudus, and Mathys Tel, plus the loan arrival of Randal Kolo Muani, suggests the squad should have more resilience. Frank may have initially prioritised shoring up a leaky defence, but as confidence has evaporated, that area has also begun to crumble.
The goals conceded at the City Ground were symptomatic. The first stemmed from a calamitous defensive mix-up, the second was a speculative effort from Callum Hudson-Odoi, and the third a long-range thunderbolt from Ibrahim Sangaré. However, Forest players were afforded far too much time and space, continuing a trend of cheap concessions, such as the two early goals against Fulham.
Mounting Pressure in the Post-Levy Era
The scrutiny on Thomas Frank is intensifying. While he began slowly at previous clubs Brøndby and Brentford, the pressure at a club of Tottenham's stature is of a different magnitude. There have been visible signs of player frustration, notably from Djed Spence and Micky van de Ven after the Chelsea defeat, and from Spence again when substituted on Sunday. Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario was booed by travelling fans, leading to a pointed reaction from Pedro Porro.
The context of the club's leadership adds another layer of uncertainty. Chairman Daniel Levy departed in September as the owning Lewis family took a more hands-on role. Frank's appointment and the major summer signings were Levy's projects, leaving the new hierarchy's view of them an open question. With home form also poor—just two wins in eight league games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium—a fanbase already protesting ticket prices is growing increasingly restless.
The situation is not yet irretrievable, especially with a manageable Champions League group, but the warning signs are flashing red. Thomas Frank is rapidly running out of time to find solutions and halt Tottenham Hotspur's grim spiral.
