Frank faces Nuno’s return as Spurs' early struggles echo past appointment

Thomas Frank will face Nuno Espírito Santo when West Ham visit Tottenham on Saturday, a meeting framed by comparisons between Frank’s fraught first season at Spurs and Nuno’s short, earlier spell at the club. The Guardian notes parallels: both managers made their name in English football before moving to Spurs, and both endured difficult runs of results and fan frustration.

Nuno started with a win over Manchester City but was sacked after 10 league games with 15 points; Frank arrived from Brentford last summer and inherited a side that finished 17th, has missed key players through injury and has only recently regained Dominic Solanke. Concerns centre on style as much as results.

The article cites Opta data showing Spurs have played the fewest through balls in the league and rank low for shots and touches in the opposition box; they have overdelivered on expected goals (20.5 xG versus 30 actual goals). Frank disputed a line about high turnovers, and said: "In the last seven or eight games, we have improved this more and more, we are gradually moving up [this list]." An analyst even flagged a specific detail — the goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario having the most clearances with his weaker foot.

Spurs sit 14th, have won three of their past 14 league games and were recently knocked out of the FA Cup, yet the club hierarchy appears supportive.

Key Topics

Sports, Thomas Frank, Tottenham Hotspur, Nuno Espírito Santo, West Ham, Dominic Solanke