Thomas Frankhas taken Tottenham to the Carabao Cup fourth round, earning the right to face Newcastle United next month. He has set the squad the task of being consistent game-to-game in displays, but standards have to stay high in matches too, as victory against Doncaster revealed.
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‘We threw the ball away too early’
For Frank, the 2-2 stalemate at Brighton on Saturday was the sort of step he needed to see from his side. They had the spirit to bounce back from being 2-0 down, had some inspired showings from Mohammed Kudus and Destiny Udogie, and productive patterns in ball possession persisted.
With rotation in a cup competition, it can be hard to judge the group on the same terms. A win was the top target on the agenda and it looked like Spurs simply carried on momentum from the last match.
“First and foremost, happy. Happy with the win, with the clean sheet, happy that we are through.”
Two quick first-half goals
In the first quarter of an hour, Joao Palhinha put the hosts ahead with an acrobatic effort. Three minutes later, Jay McGrath made a costly error, getting caught flat footed as he tried to defend a delivery from Wilson Odobert. His friendly fire doubled the early advantage for Frank's players.
The head coach commented that there could have been even more productivity in front of the goal.
“Into the next round. That was the aim. I think the first half was good. We controlled the game, created the chances we wanted and needed. We could score more goals. I think first half we got some big opportunities to Mathys Tel, Rodrigo Bentancur, a few other situations that was dangerous.”
A disjointed second half
On the other hand, the action after the restart remained a little uninspired. A breakaway goal from Brennan Johnson put the polish on the result, if not the performance. It is not the end of the world, but consistency is key for the group, and Frank feels he must hold them to account at every moment.
“Second half was disjointed. We threw the ball away too easy, pressure was not top, but also praise to Doncaster came very brave, very good to stretch so if pressure is not perfect they made it difficult.”
