‘Awful’ – All 60 words Alan Shearer said about what Thomas Frank did with Tottenham vs Arsenal
Alan Shearer has slated Thomas Frank for how Tottenham set up against Arsenal on Sunday.
Tottenham suffered a 4-1 away defeat against Arsenal in a shocking North London derby performance from the Lilywhites.
Eberechi Eze scored a hattrick against Tottenham to rub salt in the wound of his failed summer switch to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Former Spurs man Alan Brazil was fuming after the Arsenal defeat, particularly with the way they defended set pieces at the Emirates.
Shearer has also shared his frustration with Frank, who is to blame for how his side approached a clash against the Gunners.
Alan Shearer fumes at Thomas Frank approach vs Arsenal
The stats against Arsenal don’t reflect well on Spurs and Frank after what was arguably the most embarrassing derby result in recent memory.
Tottenham may have failed away to Arsenal over the years, but they have largely put in a shift and been unlucky to taste defeat.
That can’t be levelled at the N17 outfit after Sunday’s performance, as there was little to no positivity to take away from Mikel Arteta’s men.
Frank opted to utilise a five-at-the-back system, hold out for a draw, and potentially catch the Premier League leaders on the counter.
That left Shearer far from impressed on The Rest is Football podcast on 24 November, as he slammed what he saw from the Lilywhites.
He said: “I think your manager [Frank] got his tactics all wrong. He set up your team to soak up pressure, try and hit on the break at some stage and try to get a set-piece or long-throw, which is why he played Danso.
“You were awful, really, really poor. You got battered in the first half. Your team didn’t offer anything.“
Frank largely to blame for Tottenham defeat vs Arsenal
The Dane has tactical flexibility that can make his approach useful against a wide array of footballing approaches in the Premier League.
He made a tactical change to play three centre-backs against Arsenal, but it just didn’t work against such a physical side, one without a true centre-forward.
Mikel Merino played as an unorthodox nine, but often dropped deep and even fell far enough back to pick up an assist for Leandro Trossard’s opener.
Having three central defenders competing against a false nine, two wingers, and a 10 was never going to work and ultimately afforded Eze all the room he needed.
Frank has to take responsibility for this tactical choice and help fans understand what was going through his mind when he made the selection.
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