Thomas Frank clearly out of his depth with Lucas Bergvall claim after Tottenham vs Sunderland
Tottenham fans are already unhappy with Thomas Frank, and his comments after the Sunderland game are unlikely to improve the situation.
Sunderland held Tottenham to a 1-1 draw in North London on Sunday evening, leaving the Dane under even more sack pressure.
Ben Davies put Spurs ahead at the half-hour mark, turning Micky van de Ven’s goalbound shot over the line from three yards out.
However, the Lilywhites were unable to hold on, with Brian Brobbey smashing home the equaliser 10 minutes from time on 4 January.
Thomas Frank addresses confusing substitution
Tottenham were superb in the first half against Sunderland, but as the game went on, they slowly crept back into their shell.
With 72 minutes gone and his side still leading 1-0, Frank tried to shift the momentum, replacing Archie Gray with Joao Palhinha, and bringing Lucas Bergvall on for Wilson Odobert.
The changes didn’t have the desired effect, though, with Sunderland levelling the scores just eight minutes later.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Frank explained that Bergvall was a “like-for-like” replacement for Odobert.
He said: “When we put Joao and Lucas on, there was a lot of running and it was back and forth. Lucas has played as a 10 and is almost a like-for-like for Wilson.”
Thomas Frank comments won’t have pleased Tottenham fans
Frank is already incredibly unpopular among Tottenham fans, and likening Odobert to Bergvall won’t have won him any supporters.
Many see Bergvall as a deep-lying playmaker, despite his recent appearances in the number 10 position, while Odobert is a winger.
Odobert did have a quiet game against Sunderland, so the actual decision to take him off wouldn’t have bothered Spurs supporters.
| Stats vs Sunderland | Wilson Odobert |
| Minutes | 72 |
| Shots | 0 |
| Pass accuracy | 81% |
| Key passes | 3 |
During his time on the pitch, the Frenchman didn’t take a single shot, but he did make three key passes, with an overall passing accuracy of 81 per cent.
However, Frank’s insistence that Odobert and Bergvall are similar will just continue to convince the Tottenham faithful that the Dane is out of his depth.
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