After a mixed season, Tottenham Hotspur fired head coach Ange Postecoglou.
A 17th-place finish was far too unsatisfactory for the eventual UEFA Europa League winners.
After his admirable stint at Brentford, Thomas Frank takes over as the new Spurs head coach.
While it is a surprising turn of events, it is an intriguing avenue for the North London side.
In this article, we explore how Tottenham could set up next season under Frank.
For this analysis, we will reference how Brentford FC operated under Thomas Frank tactics and how the Danish coach‘s style of play may revitalize Spurs.
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Who Is Thomas Frank?
Thomas Frank initially joined Brentford as Dean Smith’s assistant in 2016.
He inherited the head coach post in 2018 when Smith left for Aston Villa.
As their head coach, Thomas Frank led Brentford to Premier League promotion in 2021 by clinching the EFL Championship play-offs.
Over the years in the top flight, Frank has solidified the Bees as a mid-table team.
His side was known for their adept recruitment, resilience, and tactical discipline.
The Danish coach is well-respected for his calm demeanour, emotional intelligence, and ability to set a positive tone.
Brentford’s gameplay has evolved owing to Frank’s liking for analytics and data-driven approach.
He is also known for developing players and often bringing out the best in them.
Apart from the tactics, he prefers utilising set-pieces to their full potential.
Attacking throw-ins are one of the most common features of Thomas Frank’s set-piece play.
Here, we can see an example of Brentford executing an attacking throw-in.
Thomas Frank Tactics At Brentford
Under Thomas Frank coaching style, Brentford were usually seen in a 4-2-3-1 or variations of a back-three.
They do not have a rigid approach to the game.
Their style of play in a particular game is dependent on how their opponent plays.
High Press Or Mid-Block?
Brentford are not a team that usually racks up high numbers in possession statistics.
It is common to see them either press high or stay in a mid to low block.
When they press high, their primary focus is not to win the ball in the final third.
They look to apply enough pressure to force the opponent to play long.
Once the long ball is played, their aggressive centre-backs step to intervene.
In this image, the Brentford attackers are pressing their direct opponents.
All the short options are blocked off.
The opponent has to eventually play long, and Brentford gain possession.
In this case as well, Brentford block all the short options before pressing the player on the ball.
In other situations, Brentford refrain from pressing high up the pitch.
They make a good number of interceptions and tackles in the midfield third.
This is where a lot of their positive transitions emerge.
In this situation, Brentford make an interception in the midfield third and start a rapid counterattack.
Another situation where a ball is won in midfield to start a counterattack.
Aggressive Centre-Backs
As mentioned above, Brentford regain possession on a lot of occasions because of their aggressive centre-backs.
They jump into the midfield third and make interceptions and tackles and win aerial duels.
This gives rise to plenty of swift attacks.
In this image, a Brentford centre-back steps up to win an aerial duel.
In this example, a centre-back jumps to make an interception in midfield.
This starts a quick attack for Thomas Frank’s side.
Defensive Discipline Inside Their Own Half
Brentford, under Thomas Frank management, have become a side that showcase resilience in defending inside their half.
They tend to either overload or equally allocate players to defend wide areas.
It is common to see the Bees slide across to swarm a flank under attack.
In this scenario, the opponents are attempting to create an attack down the wing.
Three Brentford players engage and occupy the free spaces.
In this image, Brentford have outnumbered the opponents in the wide area.
However, the half-space is wide open.
An opponent makes a blindside run, but is tracked by a Brentford attacker tracking back.
The opponent attempts to penetrate down the wide channel.
However, Brentford quickly slide across to form a defensive block.
The opponents are outnumbered and have to play either sideways or backwards.
Here, the entire Brentford lineup is visible, staying deep and compact.
Even though the left-back is stretched wide, the space between him and the left-sided centre-back is covered by a midfielder dropping into the half-space.
Brentford Direct Approach In Attack
When attacking, Thomas Frank’s side have not adhered to just a single way of getting things done.
They have showcased a blend of playing intricate short passes and being very direct through long balls.
In this video, we can see that the centre-midfielder receives in the right half-space.
He immediately pings it to the left wide channel, where his wing-back is running into space.
In this situation, the Brentford goalkeeper spots an attacker positioned in a good area.
He launches it directly.
The attacker lays it off to a secondary runner, who gets a one-on-one with the opposition goalkeeper.
Brentford’s attackers being physically adept is a significant advantage for when they go long.
It opens space for hold-up play, as they can lay off second balls to the arriving players.
In this situation, the Brentford striker is on the receiving end of a long ball.
He holds off his opponent and lays it off to an arriving teammate.
Brentford Attack With Possession
On other occasions, Thomas Frank’s side have enjoyed their share of possession.
An essential component of their attack is fluidity.
Several Brentford players can be spotted out of position to operate creatively.
A common feature is wide players drifting inside and central players peeling wide.
This is an image of Brentford operating in a 3-4-3.
The wingers are seen operating closer to the central channel than the wide channel.
Here is another example where a winger drifts into midfield and operates between the lines.
He combines and releases the attacking midfielder.
Similarly, Thomas Frank’s midfielders can be seen drifting wide and make varied movements.
In this video, the right-winger has positioned himself in the half-space.
This allows the centre-midfielder to run wide to make an overlap.
Along with overlapping runs, the midfielders are adept at exploiting half-spaces.
Here, Brentford’s attacking midfielder makes a blindside run to receive in the half-space.
Thomas Frank’s side have also shown moments of vertical play through short passes and carries.
In this example, Brentford show progression through fluid movement, short passing, and driving into space.
The winger attracts the players around him and lays it off to his teammate in the wide area.
Bryan Mbeumo Winger Profile
Thomas Frank had a crucial player in Bryan Mbeumo, who operated as a left-footed right-winger.
Along with operating in tight spaces, Mbeumo has shown that he can cut inside and thread through passes.
This is a potentially sought-after trait when the Danish coach arrives at Spurs.
Tottenham’s Dejan Kulusevski fits this role very well.
Here, Mbeumo cuts inside and releases his striker, making a blindside run.
Another example where Bryan Mbeumo cuts inside to find his striker on a blindside run.
Mikkel Damsgaard Attacking Midfielder Profile
Another crucial player profile Thomas Frank had at Brentford is Mikkel Damsgaard.
He is an attacking midfielder who likes to operate between the lines.
The Danish midfielder positions himself in several areas of the pitch.
Here is an example of Damsgaard operating in the half-space. He combines with a wide player to release him.
In this situation, Damsgaard operates in the central channel.
He picks the ball up to release his winger for a one-on-one with the opponent’s goalkeeper.
James Maddison at Spurs fits this profile.
Brentford & Spurs Similarities
Brentford’s midfield is noticeably fluid.
Although there are assigned roles, it is not uncommon for the midfield three to interchange.
It is typically characterised by a staggered double pivot with an attacking midfielder.
Spurs have a functional midfield three that fits this requirement.
Rodrigo Bentancur (centre-midfielder), Yves Bissouma (centre-midfielder), and James Maddison (attacking midfielder) could be Thomas Frank’s starting trio.
Brentford’s and Tottenham’s structures are similar.
A lone striker up top with three attacking midfielders right behind, followed by two pivots and a back-four.
Here, we can see Spurs’ striker with three attacking midfielders and pivots.
Another noteworthy element of Thomas Frank’s Brentford is the relation between wingers, full-backs, and centre-midfielders.
To keep possession, one of the centre-midfielders drops alongside the centre-backs.
This allows the full-backs to push high.
In situations where the wingers provide width, the full-backs tuck into half-spaces.
Here, a Brentford centre-midfielder can be seen dropping as a third centre-back.
Meanwhile, the other centre-midfielder stays inside the opponent’s structure.
Similarly, at Spurs, one of the centre-midfielders (Yves Bissouma) drops as a third centre-back.
Meanwhile, Rodrigo Bentancur stays inside the opponent’s structure.
Here, we can also see the full-backs in the half-space as the winger stays wide.
Thomas Frank Tactics At Spurs
Spurs lack in a few positions and will be in the market for a few signings.
This is what a Thomas Frank starting XI might look like with the current players:
The back-four has a healthy dose of athleticism.
Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie are dynamic full-backs.
Spurs might try securing a defensive midfielder, as none of their midfielders truly fit the profile of a number six.
They also might look for a left-winger.
Meanwhile, they have two great options on the right side: Brennan Johnson and Dejan Kulusevski.
Kulusevski, who can also play attacking midfielder, will add depth to that position as James Maddison fills it.
Spurs have a dominant striker in Dominic Solanke, but they could look to expand their range of options in that role.
Conclusion
Tottenham Hotspur and Brentford have notable similarities in play style and personnel profiles.
A few signings will likely boost their case for the upcoming season.
However, they might not be too far off, given Thomas Frank’s character traits.
The Dane, being an adaptable coach, might help their case.
