Thomas Frank will be raging as horrific stat emerges during Tottenham vs Burnley
Thomas Frank won’t have been entirely satisfied despite Tottenham’s 3-0 win against Burnley on Saturday.
Although they lost in the UEFA Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, 13 August, there were plenty of positives from Frank’s competitive debut in charge of Tottenham.
Spurs came into the clash as underdogs, but dominated PSG for most of the match, leading 2-0 in Udine after 80 minutes before conceding two late goals and losing on penalties in disappointing fashion, with Micky van de Ven issuing an apology to supporters.
And Frank’s Premier League debut in charge of Spurs was also incredibly memorable, as the Lilywhites swept Burnley aside at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 16 August.
However, it wasn’t all plain sailing for the hosts, and Frank would have been feeling particularly disappointed at half-time.
Tottenham struggle in the first half v Burnley
Mohammed Kudus and Richarlison shone in North London against Scott Parker’s side, with the former providing the latter with two assists.
Brennan Johnson rounded off the scoring in what looks to have been a convincing win on paper. However, it is fair to say that Spurs’ second-half performance papered over some of the cracks.
While the hosts went into the break with a one-goal lead thanks to Richarlison, Burnley were arguably the more impressive side going forward.
As per Ryan Taylor via X on 16 August, at half-time, Burnley had registered twice as many shots as their hosts, 10 compared with five, despite having just 28 per cent of the ball.
Taylor wrote that Spurs did not look “convincing”, and Frank surely would have been raging. However, he clearly channelled that anger into a positive teamtalk, as whatever the Dane said at the break worked.
Tottenham bounce back in second half v Burnley
Spurs looked much more convincing in the second half on Saturday.
They played with more purpose, created more chances, and scored two well-worked goals, with Richarlison’s second in particular a stunner.
While there will be tougher tests than Burnley to come for Frank this season, this was a positive first Premier League outing as Tottenham boss.
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