Tottenham’s record without Pape Sarr shows Thomas Frank needs him vs Monaco
Tottenham will look to get back to winning ways against Monaco on Wednesday night.
After Spurs lost 2-1 to Aston Villa, there have been calls to say that the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium might be the problem, as the Lilywhites’ only losses this season have come on their own patch.
Pape Sarr has been hailed for his magnificent performances under Thomas Frank, but was benched yet again in the loss against Villa.
Frank has previously called Sarr “amazing”, and it really confuses that the midfielder is struggling for a starting spot, as Tottenham‘s record without him proves that he is the difference.
Tottenham struggle when Thomas Frank doesn’t start Pape Sarr
So far this season, Sarr has played in seven Premier League games, but only started in four of them.
Sarr has looked like an improved midfielder since Frank’s arrival, as his playstyle seems more suited to the Danish coach’s system than under Ange Postecoglou.
| Game | Result | Sarr’s minutes |
| Spurs vs Brighton | 2-2 Draw | 0 |
| Spurs vs Wolves | 1-1 Draw | 12 |
| Spurs vs Leeds | 2-1 Win | 17 |
| Spurs vs Aston Villa | 2-1 Loss | 4 |
Sarr scored in Tottenham’s 3-0 victory over West Ham and started in both their positive results in the Champions League against Villarreal and Bodo/Glimt.
Yes, he did start in Tottenham’s loss to Bournemouth, but every player in a white shirt was poor that game.
Even in the draw against Wolves, Sarr came off the bench and grabbed an assist, which helped his side to a point, despite limited minutes.
Tottenham have only won once when Sarr doesn’t start, but have won four times when he has this campaign, highlighting his importance.
Sarr will bring energy vs Monaco
Tottenham’s Champions League clash with Monaco proves to be an interesting one, as former Barcelona attacker Ansu Fati is in red-hot form ahead of Wednesday’s showdown.
Frank will almost certainly change up his side, as Sarr is now an obvious choice.
| Games (starts) | Distance covered per 90 | Number of sprints per 90 | Total duels won per 90 | Accurate passes per 90 | Balls recovered per 90 | Average rating |
| 2 (2) | 11.2 Kilometers | 9.8 | 1.5 | 85% | 4.0 | 6.45 |
Recovering the ball on average four times per 90 minutes, as well as covering over 11km, Sarr will need to be very busy to keep a young and exciting Monaco team at bay.
Despite his goal, Rodrigo Bentancur was very poor against Aston Villa, and Sarr needs to come back into the side over the Uruguayan to add some legs to the midfield.
Sarr always brings energy and covers almost every single blade of grass when he plays for Tottenham. Playing away from home, his pressing style will be required.
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