Tottenham Hotspur head coach Thomas Frank is excited about his Champions League debut
Tottenham Hotspur are back with the big boys in the Champions League after two seasons as they welcome Villarreal to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday evening.
The Europa League champions would be looking to get off to the perfect start in their first league phase tie against a strong Spanish side. Under the lights, the home support will be crazy for Thomas Frank and Co., but the game would be anything but straightforward with several exciting key battles waiting to happen on the pitch.
Despite a poor record against Spanish teams, winning only once in their last 13 encounters, this will be the Lilywhites’ first competitive outing against Villarreal. As for Thomas Frank, this will be his first Champions League game in his managerial career. He will give his 100 per cent to make it special, having overseen a strong start to the Premier League season with three wins from four games.
Thomas Frank opens up on his first Champions League experience ahead of Villarreal tie
Frank will be hoping to better Mauricio Pochettino’s achievement of guiding Tottenham to a Champions League final six years ago, with the Danish tactician determined to lead the side one step further and taste glory. However, it will be extremely difficult, especially for a manager who is making his Champions League bow.
Speaking in his press conference on Monday, the Spurs gaffer admitted that he is relishing the challenge of leading the club in the Champions League.
“Big thing hugely looking forward to it. Hearing the Champions League anthem, that will be the moment. Now it’s about preparing for it,” Frank was quoted by Football London.
Winning start in Europe extremely important
Ange Postecoglou was sacked after Spurs finished 17th in the Premier League last term, yet bizarrely in leading them to Europa League success, he has inadvertently handed Frank his first taste of the continent’s biggest competition. The Dane has shown his strong tactical mind and man-management skills in his embryonic career at N17, and the Lilywhites’ solid start to their league campaign is a big proof of that.
Frank has some prior experience of European football having taken Brondby into the Europa League qualifiers several years ago, but this is Champions League football and his mettle will be tested. It represents a mammoth task for a man who spent seven years at Brentford.
With high expectations from both players and fans, Frank’s Tottenham aim to make significant progress in this elite European tournament.