Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank opens up on Chelsea incident amidst positive injury news
Spurs are set to clash against Copenhagen on Tuesday in the league phase of the Champions League. Ahead of the match, Thomas Frank held a press conference with Guglielmo Vicario and offered an update on Lucas Bergvall’s injury. The manager also addressed the incident that took place at the end of Spurs’ clash against Chelsea at the weekend, where Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence appeared to show dissent.
The Lilywhites were defeated 1-0 by Chelsea, after what was a highly disappointing performance from Spurs. Thomas Frank’s side showcased one of their worst attacking performances in recent years, as they failed to create chances and registered only a single attempt on goal. Tottenham recorded an expected goals (xG) figure of just 0.05, the lowest ever by any Premier League team since such stats began being recorded in 2012/13.
Early in the Chelsea game, Lucas Bergvall blocked a close-range volley from Enzo Fernandez, taking the full impact to his head. As a result, the teenager lost his balance and dropped to the ground. In the following minutes, he received treatment from the Spurs medical team, who then deemed the midfielder unfit to continue.
Bergvall was adamant on continuing, but Thomas Frank listened to the advice of his medical team and substituted him for the new signing, Xavi Simons. However, Simons could not make an impact on the game and was taken off the field in the second half to make way for winger Wilson Odobert.
After a poor performance from the home side, the Tottenham players were heavily booed by fans after the full-time whistle. Thomas Frank had asked Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence to acknowledge the fans, but the players appeared to ignore the manager’s request and headed down the tunnel. During the recent presser, Thomas Frank addressed the situation by stating (h/t football.london):
“If they didn’t come in, of course I had to ask them about the situation they were walking in, what they were feeling, why they were doing it, because we all have a perception. And we are very, very good to have that strong [opinion]. That’s because they… whatever, because their mom wasn’t well, or they didn’t like the head coach, or they were irritated with the performance, or it’s because they lost, or whatever. We’re very, very good at that. None of us knows.”
“So that would be my first question to them. How were they and why? Of course I’m happy, because I knew the question would come today, that they were coming in. And that means they care. I think that’s very good. They care about the team, the club. In this case, me. I’m happy with that. So that was very good. Then we just had a good talk about a lot of things. And like with everything, we keep it internally. Like I said to the players when I said that before, it will be very, very, very unusual if I ever throw a player under the bus. We’re all humans, but I’ll always protect them.”
Thomas Frank also confirmed that Bergvall had suffered a concussion and praised the medical staff for making the correct call. When asked to provide an update, he stated:
“He’s out for the next two games now. Lucas got concussion, which was probably pretty obvious from the footage. Big praise to the medical team because it’s a tricky situation to be in when it’s two minutes into a game and everything is on it so well done to them because the players’ health is the most important thing. Djed and Mo got a knock. They could and should be available for tomorrow.”
Tottenham Hotspur face a challenging run of crucial matches over the coming weeks that will test the squad’s depth and resilience. Following their upcoming Champions League clash against FC Copenhagen, Spurs will immediately prepare for a high-stakes Premier League showdown with Manchester United. The pressure doesn’t ease as they then travel to face fierce rivals Arsenal, before returning to European competition with a daunting home fixture against PSG.
These back-to-back games pit Tottenham against some of the toughest and most competitive opponents across both domestic and continental fronts, making tactical astuteness and effective squad rotation essential for the team’s continued success this season.
