The damning stats behind Tottenham’s derby day disaster vs Arsenal, Thomas Frank should be embarrassed
Tottenham recorded just 0.06 expected goals (xG) against Arsenal on Sunday, their lowest in a Premier League game since the stat started being collected.
Arsenal smashed Tottenham 4-1 at the Emirates Stadium, with Eberechi Eze completing Thomas Frank‘s nightmare night by scoring a hat-trick in the North London derby.
Richarlison got a goal back in the second half with a stunning effort from range, but the Brazilian’s goal would ultimately leave little impact on proceedings.
Tottenham were slammed for their performance against Arsenal, with the visitors taking just three shots throughout the 90 minutes.
It was yet another game in which Tottenham struggled to create chances under Frank, with the Dane now facing a serious issue.
Tottenham’s record-breaking no-show
Tottenham‘s game plan was plainly evident just minutes into Sunday’s game, with all 11 players sitting behind the ball in an attempt to contain Arsenal.
The Gunners pressed high, with the likes of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven constantly giving the ball away when attempting to find Richarlison.
When Mikel Merino found Leandro Trossard with an incisive pass for the home side’s opener after 36 minutes, Tottenham crumbled.
| Arsenal | Match stats | Tottenham |
| 57% | Possession | 43% |
| 17 | Shots | 3 |
| 8 | On target | 2 |
| 2.14 | Expected goals (xG) | 0.06 |
| 3 | Big chances | 0 |
| 4 | Corners | 1 |
Eze would add the second and the third either side of half-time, before claiming the match ball in the 76th minute.
It was an embarrassing performance from Tottenham, who set records with their failure to create much of anything at all.
At the start of November, Frank’s side had recorded 0.10 xG against Chelsea – their lowest total on record.
But less than a month later, Tottenham have gone one better by generating just 0.06 xG against Arsenal on Sunday.
Based on that level of xG, Tottenham would score only once every 17 games if the match were replayed, according to the xG philosophy.
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Thomas Frank must pay immediate attention to damning stats vs Arsenal
Just seven times has a team taken just three shots or fewer in a Premier League game this season, and two of those times belong to Tottenham.
All three of those shots on Sunday came from outside of the box, with the other on target, Xavi Simons‘ drive from distance, serving as catching practice for David Raya.
Richarlison’s goal was impressive, but in truth, it underlined how much Tottenham needed such a moment of individual brilliance to get even a semblance of a foothold in the game.
In their current form, Frank’s team will likely not face a team as strong as Arsenal for the rest of the Premier League season.
But that should not be used as an excuse to prevent Frank from addressing the serious issue Tottenham face when attempting to create chances.
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