Tottenham Hotspur have currently won just two of their last 16 Premier League games, but Thomas Frank will be looking past his frustration at the nature of the defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Club captain Cristian Romero was sent off in the first half after a stud-up challenge on Casemiro, ending a hard-fought opening 30 minutes and leaving the visitors to play primarily under Coche for the remainder of the match.
Ironically, Romero received himself a red card and should have been suspended for the next four games after going on a critical rant to the board, calling it a “disgrace” for not improving during the January transfer window.
It’s been another winless week for the Lilywhites, but it would be unfair to say Tottenham were completely fooled as a team.
Spurs vs Man United match
Man Utd have been in good form in recent weeks heading into the opening round game against Tottenham, but Spurs held on and it would be a huge shame to be disqualified after Romero’s sending off.
Frank will be positive, but there is no denying that his fatigue is deepening as his hopes of qualifying for next season’s European competition look increasingly slim at any level.
The first 30 minutes were a bit positive, but an injury to Destiny Oudogie and the extension of a Premier League winless run dating back to December have started to make fans nervous.
Frank is not to blame for this game, but Tuesday’s game against Newcastle United in London will feel like a must-win for the underperforming Lilywhites. The Lilywhites’ slim hopes of making a comeback and winning Europe are fading further.
Forget about Romero: the Spurs man is rapidly becoming Frank’s least reliable player
Tottenham Hotspur suffered another Premier League defeat against Manchester United this afternoon.
Dominic Solanke’s return to fitness continues to be encouraging and will allow his deeper team-mates to hit the mark in their creative efforts.
It will take a huge effort to turn things around, but the club’s new version of Harry Kane could prove the difference.
Frank has found Spurs’ new Kane
Solanke gives Tottenham a central presence as a number nine. He is powerful, incredibly fast and has natural instincts in front of goal. But the three-cap England international has not emerged as a Kane-like hero.
Kane is one of the greatest players of his generation. Of course he continues to pursue his fortune in Germany with Bayern Munich, but the Three Lions captain will go down in England as one of Tottenham’s greatest ever players.
Tottenham’s all-time leading scorer | ||
|---|---|---|
player | app | the goal |
harry kane | 435 | 280 |
jimmy greaves | 376 | 266 |
bobby smith | 316 | 211 |
son heung min | 454 | 173 |
Martin Chivers | 350 | 167 |
Dates via Transfermarkt | ||
However, since Kane scored so many goals in N17, Micky van de Ven could emerge as the London side’s most influential player.
The Dutch international has been a monster for Tottenham since joining from Wolfsburg in 2023, often attracting attention with his athletic, forward-footed play.
Van de Ven may have looked off the boil at times throughout the first half, but he came back after the interval to energize his side and his explosive advances became a staple of his game.
It’s no surprise that teams like Liverpool are interested in signing him, but following the Premier League champions’ recent curiosity, Spurs have responded by attaching a £100m price tag to the Dutch defender. This is a world record for a centre-half.
Journalist Eduard Hahn called the 24-year-old “a player Real Madrid should sign” after the 10-minute match between Spurs and the Red Devils, and despite the team’s loss, Van de Ven, along with the additions, set up a solid system against the hosts.
Van de Ven may not be a striker, but he arguably has the most influential role of anyone at Tottenham at the moment, and despite Frank and his team’s continuing problems, he prides himself as one of the best centre-backs in Europe.
Given that he could command a nine-figure check if he were to leave Tottenham at the end of the season, it’s not out of the question that Van de Ven is the club’s star player, especially given how disappointed he is by his captain next door.
In this respect, he is the new Kane, the diamond in the coals, and arguably one of the strongest and most valuable members of Frank’s struggling team.
Spurs have Gallagher, a born-again player who has ‘a Luka Modric vibe’
Tottenham has the richest youth production line in Europe.
