Alan Shearer makes ‘unbelievable’ Tottenham admission after what he saw in person
Tottenham continue to prove their doubters wrong as Thomas Frank navigates through his first season in charge.
Tottenham’s win against West Ham means that the Lilywhites have been defeated on just one occasion in the Premier League so far under Frank.
In four league games, Spurs have conceded one goal, which is a testament to the incredible effort from Frank.
Now as the season progresses, there is a feeling that most doubters will become fans as Tottenham continue to impress the masses.
Alan Shearer shares thoughts on win vs Villarreal
Tottenham won their opening Champions League game against Villarreal thanks to an own goal by Luiz Junior.
While Tottenham superstar Lucas Bergvall forced the action, he was helped on his way by Junior, who threw it into his own net.
Alan Shearer watched the action pan out in person while commentating on the game for Amazon Prime. He told The Rest is Football Podcast on 19 September that Junior’s mistake was an “unbelievable” one.
He said: “I was hoping for a great game, but it certainly wasn’t that. But the Tottenham fans and Frank managing for the first time in the Champions League, it will not matter one bit to him. Or the fans, or the players.
“It was about winning. They made hard work of it. They were gifted a goal after four minutes by the goalkeeper. How he chucked that one in was unbelievable.”
Frank will now be hoping to continue his winning ways when Tottenham take on Brighton in the Premier League.
Three things Tottenham learned vs Villarreal
Frank has a lot to think about following Spurs’ win over Villarreal. But there are a few things he’ll dwell on more than others.
The first is that Bergvall needs to play more consistently this season. The 19-year-old starred in Tottenham’s 3-0 win over West Ham and did it again against the Spanish side.
- Bergvall completed 80 per cent of his passes against Villarreal [Sofascore]
- The midfielder won 100 per cent of his aerial duels
The second thing learned was that there is too much of an emphasis on Mohammed Kudus to create for the North London side.
- Kudus registered 0.40 in expected assists during the game
- The winger attempted four crosses, and two were accurate
- He also put in three long balls, and two were accurate
There seem to be three reasons for this. The first is the creative partnership of Kudus and Pedro Porro. Both are excellent going forward, which allows for a successful attacking dynamic.
The second is the lack of chemistry between Xavi Simons and Djed Spence. This has resulted in Spurs being right-side heavy. The final reason is the lack of a natural 10 in the midfield.
With Simons on the left and James Maddison out injured, Tottenham have few creative options in the midfield to choose from.
The last thing learned is how strong Spurs are becoming as a defensive unit.
- Tottenham won 55 per cent of their ground duels, 72 per cent of their aerial duels and 78 oer cent of their tackles
- Comparatively, Villarreal won 45 per cent of their ground duels, 28 per cent of their aerial duels and 69 per cent of their tackles
This could indicate that Frank is keen to build a strong defensive team before focusing on the attack. Either way, Spurs have shown more discipline in the short time under Frank than two seasons with Ange Postecoglou.
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