Chelsea thrashed Tottenham Hotspur as the North Londoners blame Thomas Frank for their utter misery

Tottenham fans are not satisfied with Thomas Frank

Saturday's encounter between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea was almost two years from the day Spurs were thrashed 4-1 by the same opponents at this venue. The mood that day was very different—fans passionately chanted Ange Postecoglou's name despite the defeat, in celebration of the thrilling chaos and boldness of his attacking football.

This time, though, there was frustration in the air: at the final whistle, and even louder at halftime, as Tottenham fell to a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea. The boos were aimed squarely at current manager Thomas Frank. Matters became even more heated when players Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence seemingly went against Frank's wishes to stay on the pitch-side and headed straight down the tunnel.

Frank's opinion on the downfall of Tottenham

Frank, who still made time to applaud the supporters at the final whistle, had witnessed visible discontent from some sections of the crowd. "The players are, of course, disappointed," he said afterwards. "They all want to perform well and win games, which I thoroughly understand. What matters is staying consistent through good and bad moments. It's always more enjoyable to thank the fans after a win, that's for sure."

Frank downplayed the situation when asked about the incident involving Van de Ven and Spence. “I understand why you’re asking, but that’s a minor issue,” he explained. “Both players have given their all and have been excellent this season. Everyone’s frustrated—that’s normal. We just approach things differently, and I don’t see that as a real problem.”

For comparison, the defeat for Postecoglou was his first as Spurs boss back in November 2023, also against Chelsea, but leaving his side second in the table. Frank’s Tottenham, meanwhile, remain third despite the loss, narrowly ahead of Chelsea on goal difference.

Yet that is not the real concern, which is a lack of attacking creativity by Tottenham. What the supporters want to see is an expressive and dynamic style, which was noticeably absent. Spurs looked devoid of rhythm and imagination going forward, and rather than running out of ideas, they seemed to begin the match without any clear attacking plan at all.

The statistics painted a grim picture, with Tottenham registering an expected goals (xG) figure of just 0.05, the worst that the club has recorded in a Premier League game since data collection began more than 500 matches ago in the 2012-13 season.

Frank said. "That hurts an awful lot. Never had a team that produced so little in one game — never. That is something I will have to look closely at. Obviously, a few things are linked to each other, and we need to sort them out together.” Tottenham remain in a good position in the table, but unless that creativity returns soon, the goodwill of Frank's early tenure may begin to fade fast.