Leandro Trossard injury spotted in Arsenal defeat v Tottenham
Tottenham secured a 1-0 victory against Arsenal in a pre-season game on Thursday at Kai Tak Sports Park in Hong Kong.
Pape Matar Sarr scored an amazing goal for Spurs from ahead of the halfway line and that proved to be the winning goal.
Thomas Frank will have been impressed with the performances of some of his players on the evening.
Leandro Trossard picks up an injury against Spurs
Leandro Trossard was on the bench for this one with Mikel Arteta opting to start Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli.
The former Brighton winger was brought on in the second period of the contest, but his time on the pitch was short-lived.
He picked up an injury, which meant that he could continue and Arteta had to bring him off, according to BBC journalist Alex Howell.
Reiss Nelson came on for the Belgium international and played until the end of the game, with his team on the losing side.
Tottenham players better suited to playing in a back four under Frank
Frank is more likely to implement a back four at Tottenham due to the squad’s composition and the Premier League’s demands.
At Brentford, Frank predominantly used a 4-3-3, emphasising fluid attacking play and high pressing, but he also deployed a three-at-the-back system.
However, the former suits Spurs’ attacking talents like Son Heung-min and James Maddison and it makes sense to continue with it.
| Season | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 2024/25 | 46 | 11 | 12 |
| 2023/24 | 36 | 17 | 10 |
A back four allows better utilisation of Spurs’ full-backs, such as Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie, whose overlapping runs align with Frank’s focus on width.
Tottenham’s defenders, including Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, are accustomed to a four-man defence under Ange Postecoglou, easing the transition.
A back three, while used at the West London club, requires specialist wing-backs and additional centre-backs, which Spurs lack in depth.
The Dane’s success with a compact, aggressive 4-3-3 against top sides suggests he’d adapt this system to maximise Tottenham’s pace and creativity, prioritising stability and attacking output.
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