Is Marc Guehi ideal for how Thomas Frank is expected to play at Tottenham? – Opinion

Marc Guehi has been subject to links with a move away from Selhurst Park as multiple Premier League clubs look to secure his signature in the ongoing summer transfer window. And if we talk about the recently concluded season, we did see how the Lilywhites need a sense of depth and quality in the roster, especially at the heart of the defence, and I base this on how Ange Postecoglou had struggled to play a side without makeshift changes along the campaign.

The heart of defence had been the most affected position, in turn leading to a lot of defensive fatalities with goals being shipped regularly, and if we walk into the winter transfer window where Daniel Levy did have his moment of madness trying to resolve this when he put in a much talked-about £70m bid to sign Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi on deadline day – it just shows the desperation of the North Londoners to bring in a new centre back.

But we are in the summer window now, and Thomas Frank has taken over the reins at Hotspur Way from the Australian head coach, and he is likely to bring in his own set of players on the roster at N17. Though the Dane head coach is still interested in Guehi, showing how much the decision-makers at Hotspur Way believe in his capabilities.

Though now the 24-year-old would be featuring under the former Brentford coach if he were to sign at Tottenham, and he would make an excellent tactical fit for how Thomas Frank is expected to set up at N17. If Frank is looking to transition the North Londoners into a more structured side that relies on ball control and is set up in mid-blocks with modern build-up patterns and pressing triggers, then Marc Guehi would slot in seamlessly.

How can Marc Guehi fit in tactically under Thomas Frank?

If we walk into how Thomas Frank’s Brentford sides set up their backlines, they generally shuffled between playing in a flexible back four or back five, and that used to depend a lot on the opponents, given how they are often switching between 3-5-2 and 3-4-2-1 to bring in a sense of stability out of possession, while the Bees would deploy a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 where they are more dominant.

But if we are thinking about either structure, then Frank needs a sense of positional awareness from his defenders, especially because they would be playing in a mid-block system. Then they should have that ability to step up and compress space when needed. Moreover, very much in line with the modern way of playing, they need to have ball security in the first-phase build-up stages. Then you need them to have a physical presence when it comes to dealing with balls in the air.

While for Guehi, he ends up fitting in all the boxes. The 24-year-old is quite calm on the ball and also has that ability to play vertical passes that get the better of opponents’ pressing lines, and he does frequently progress play through the lines. He is also really good when it comes to anticipating the passes/runs and timing of tackles. Moreover, the England international has played in both four at the back and three-man defences, which could end up helping how Frank wants to shuffle his backlines.

What does Guehi bring to the backline at N17?

We all know that Tottenham have struggled to have a sense of stability and balance at the back, especially when Cristian Romero ends up overstretching the defence and suddenly the left-centre-back (Van de Ven) has to try to cover for the whole defence.

In Guehi, Frank will get a natural left centre-back option in a back four and a central centre-back in the back three. He has that recovery defender in compact defences, especially when the North Londoners shift to a back five.

As opposed to Romero, Guehi is more positional, which makes him a system stabiliser, especially given how the full-backs (Porro, Udogie) like to push higher, knowing that Guehi is good at covering wide areas nicely.

More Tottenham Hotspur News:

• TTLB Opinion: Is Postecoglou the reason behind Maddison’s underwhelming season at Tottenham?
• TTLB Opinion: Tottenham target Branthwaite and Guehi – but who makes more sense?
• TTLB Opinion: Should Tottenham be worried about Van de Ven to Real Madrid or is it all agent talks?

Author Opinon

The Englishman brings a sense of positional intelligence and build-up stability that Thomas Frank would be demanding from the back. That being said, the Cobham academy graduate is not someone who will grab the headlines for 60-yard passes or flashy recoveries, but in Frank’s system, where discipline and trust in the system are everything, this is where having Guehi would take Tottenham a long, long way.