Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank used a back three system to good effect vs Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup
Tottenham Hotspur have had different styles of managers over the last few years. They went from a counter-attacking head coach in Antonio Conte to a full throttle attacking one in Ange Postecoglou, and Spurs have now reverted again to a more pragmatic tactician in Thomas Frank.
Thomas Frank is an astute tactician, as demonstrated by how he used to set his Brentford team up against varying opposition. He used different formations during his successful six-year stint at Brentford, having helped them achieve promotion in 2021 and ensuring their safety in the Premier League in the following seasons.
The Danish tactician has predominantly used a flat back four during Spurs’ pre-season games. His side notably beat Arsenal 1-0 in the first North London derby away from English shores in Hong Kong and followed it up with a 1-1 draw with Newcastle United in Seoul. Things were looking decent until they faced Bayern Munich, who mauled the Lilywhites 4-0 at the Allianz Arena last week.
The manner in which Tottenham lost to Bayern left Thomas Frank extremely disappointed, leaving them concerned heading into the UEFA Super Cup clash against Paris Saint-Germain.
Thomas Frank stuns Luis Enrique with back-three system
Expectations were low going into the UEFA Super game, given how this Tottenham side are in the infancy stages of their rebuild under Frank, and in contrast, Paris Saint-Germain are a set, star-studded side under Luis Enrique.
To every supporters’ pleasant surprise, Spurs tactically outsmarted PSG for the best part of the game. Frank used a 3-5-2/5-3-2 shape for the first time as the Tottenham boss on the night and nullified the Ligue 1 giants’ flair players such as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Desire Doue and Ousmane Dembele, whilst giving Vitinha no room to manoeuvre in midfield.
The back three system suffocated Enrique’s side and they had no solution to unlock Frank’s side. The North Londoners led 2-0 with just five minutes to play and had made the Champions League winners look ordinary for a good part of the fixture. That said, it was not enough as Frank’s side lost agonisingly on penalty shootout after surrendering a 2-0 lead late in the game.
After the game, the 51-year-old head coach praised his players for performing brilliantly against the European champions. When asked in the post-match presser when did he decide to use a back three system and what specifically did his coaching team work on to help the players adapt to it, Frank said (h/t Football London):
“Probably decided that the day after Bayern. I knew we had to do something a little bit different against PSG. It was a special operation. In medical terms, the operation succeeded but the patient died. So not that good in the end. But we worked on a game plan that was a little bit different and (it was) very close to succeeding.”
Spurs board must back our new gaffer in the transfer market
Before the Super Cup clash, Frank admitted that some aspects of his approach will change at Tottenham, as the Europa League winners will have more of the ball in some matches than his former side Brentford did. He has clear principles and patterns of play that served him well at the Gtech Community Stadium, which the Dane does not look like binning it. Instead, the 51-year-old wants to use his principles with fluid and flexible formations that could see Spurs compete well against every opponent, like we did vs PSG.
The way Tottenham performed against the European champions was a testament that Daniel Levy must back Frank fully in the final weeks of the transfer window. The club has spent nowhere near enough to compete on multiple fronts, including the Champions League. If Frank and Co. are to have a successful 2025/26 season, ENIC must splash on the cash on new signings.