Thomas Frank admitted Tottenham supporters were justified in booing his team after a dismal 1-0 home defeat to Bournemouth brought an abrupt halt to his promising start as head coach.
The Danish manager had overseen an impressive victory at Manchester City only a week earlier and capped off the momentum with Friday’s high-profile signing of Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig.
But Spurs failed to back that up at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, turning in a lifeless performance that handed Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth their second win of the campaign.
Frank had enjoyed a strong record against the Cherries, winning seven of his previous 10 meetings, but this time he watched his side struggle badly for creativity and intensity. Bournemouth looked the sharper team throughout, with David Brooks particularly dangerous, and the visitors might easily have won by a greater margin.
Spurs did not register a meaningful effort until the 69th minute, when Lucas Bergvall’s strike was saved by Djordje Petrovic – their only shot on target all afternoon.
It was no surprise that the home crowd voiced their frustration both at half-time and again at the final whistle.
“I prefer them not to boo, but I understand,” Frank said afterwards. “It was not a good performance and they have high expectations, which is absolutely fair.
“I don’t think we hit the level we should. I think the players gave everything and then that’s the foundation and put the heart out there, but football wise we didn’t hit our top level today.”
With Champions League football on the horizon and squad depth still looking thin, the defeat was a sobering reminder of the work ahead.
Simons, who registered 22 goals and 24 assists in 78 games for Leipzig, is expected to add much-needed spark once he settles in.
Asked if the game showed the scale of the challenge, Frank replied: “Yeah, but it’s not about only making the squad the level. It’s also for us to not manage, but play different games.
“There’s one game against City, one kind of football, different kind of football against Burnley.
“Bournemouth completely different third kind of football and all kinds of football you need to be able to perform against, and we struggled with it.”
Frank was nonetheless optimistic about what his new signing will bring. “I think he can bring on a day where … sometimes you need a player that can do something a little bit out of nothing, go past the player, produce a cross, a shot, a pass, with that extra quality that you need on the day and that’s what I think he can bring.”
