Thomas Frank has been sacked, which will come as a surprise to a small minority of Tottenham Hotspur fans. They were more disappointed than disillusioned with the team’s struggles during the season.
A strong Champions League group stage was just the icing on the cake for a dreadful Premier League run. Spurs have won two of their last 17 games in the top flight, losing at home to Newcastle United on Tuesday night. They also lost in the domestic cup match.
The biggest surprise is that Frank survived this long. The Danish manager’s positive moments at the helm have been few and far between, a far cry from his much-lauded long tenure at Brentford.
Now that he’s gone, Tottenham need to appoint a replacement quickly with the North London derby at home 11 days away.
Latest updates on Spurs manager hunt
John Heitinga is the obvious choice to take charge of Tottenham for the remainder of the season. Frank’s assistant manager, who was appointed in January, deputized for Arne Slott when Liverpool won the Premier League last season and briefly managed Ajax earlier this season.
Mauricio Pochettino chants echoed through Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as Newcastle took all three points. The Argentinian is leading the USMNT towards this year’s North American World Cup, but ENIC Group is likely looking at the opportunity to install Heitinga as manager before he becomes the club’s sole manager at the end of his term.
However, there are other options that you can implement right away.
According to talkSPORT, Roberto De Zerbi was sacked from his post with Marseille in Ligue 1 this week and is in contention for the vacant seat below N17. The Lilywhites are said to have respected the manager for many years.
This has since been confirmed by Team Talk, which highlights that the Lilywhites’ past interest in the Italian tactician was wasted due to reluctance to work with Daniel Levy and Fabio Paratici, neither of whom are yet at the club.
Why De Zerbi could be the perfect appointment
De Zerbi will bring fresh ideas and an exciting style of football to Tottenham. There is no doubt that Pochettino understands Londoners and their appeal better than anyone, but Spurs risk setbacks by reverting to their old face.
And it’s not like De Zerbi lacks Premier League experience.
Pochettino won’t be available until the start of next season, which may suit Spurs, but De Zerbi also has a role to play, with his controlled and attacking brand of football having been hailed as a “genius” by Statman Dave in the past.
Unity and consistency were not the norm during Frank’s time at Tottenham. In fact, the football seemed very stagnant at times, with player movement and understanding at a standstill.
And let’s not forget that Poch’s gears went out of whack after that heartbreaking defeat against Liverpool in the 2019 Champions League final.
On 19 November 2019, Tottenham were 14th in the Premier League. Domestic results at the end of the previous season have also been factored in.
Premier League 23/24 – Highest average possession | ||
|---|---|---|
club | position | of. Possession |
man city | 1st place | 65.2 |
tottenham | 5th place | 61.6 |
liverpool | 3rd place | 61.3 |
brighton | 11th | 59.8 |
chelsea | 6th place | 58.6 |
Data via FBref | ||
Soccer, Pochettino, Tottenham. They are all in different positions now, but it’s debatable whether it’s a good idea to have a South American manager back, especially with De Zerbi being on the market for a game-changing 46-year-old manager.
It is worth noting that when Angebor was at his peak, Tottenham were in second place on that chart, despite a late-season collapse as a by-product of excessive injuries.
Brighton, led by De Zerbi, were a force to be reckoned with and difficult to prepare for. There’s a reason England winger Jonathan Rowe hails him as “one of the best coaches in the world”.
There is some romanticism about Pochettino’s move, but the ship may have sailed and it may be best to write a new chapter in north London rather than turn the page.
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