Tottenham boss Thomas Frank talks about conceding long-range goals.
Tottenham conceding the third-highest number of goals from outside the box this season is not bad luck, coincidence, or “moments of unbelievable quality”. And Thomas Frank, trying to frame it as such, only adds to the growing sense that he either does not fully grasp the problem or is choosing not to confront it head-on. Here is what he told Football London:
“That can be a big analysis on that. There can be unbelievable quality in the moment from players, it can be a coincidence, it can be that we didn’t put enough pressure on the ball in a specific moment. I would like us to… you can say we scored two goals in the last four or five games, so that should have given us more points than we got. No doubt there’s a lot of things we can improve. One of them is to concede less.“
For a team packed with supposed workhorses in midfield, this simply should not be happening. Spurs are not short of runners, legs, or players whose entire profiles are built around pressing and ball-winning. When you concede long-range goals at this volume, it usually points to one thing: space, especially in front of the defence. Poor spacing, slow triggers, and a midfield that remains constantly caught between pressing and protecting result in moments like these. If pressure on the ball is not enough this often, it is a systemic failure.
Long-Range goals remain a worry for Tottenham
The wider context makes it worse. Tottenham sit third in this unwanted metric behind only Nottingham Forest, who are 17th, and Wolverhampton Wanderers, who are bottom. Let that sink in. Spurs are keeping company with relegation-level sides when it comes to allowing shots from range, despite having far superior players and far greater control of matches. That alone should set alarm bells ringing inside the club.
Frank’s response does little to reassure. He talks in circles, acknowledges that conceding fewer goals would help, and moves on. That has become a pattern. Identify the obvious after the damage is done, but do nothing visibly different the next week. The same gaps appear. The same shots fly in from 20–25 yards, and the same shrug follows. When problems repeat this consistently, you’ve surely got to take some responsibility.
This is where patience runs out. Spurs are not being undone by freak brilliance every week. They are being undone by predictability, by opponents knowing exactly where the space will be and having the time to exploit it. Frank keeps referencing effort, margins, and improvement, but the numbers are screaming regression.
Time has to be ticking for the Dane. Not because one stat looks ugly, but because this stat perfectly sums up his tenure: lots of talk, lots of acknowledgement, and absolutely zilch in terms of corrective action on the pitch.
For a club already drifting and a fanbase rapidly losing faith, that is not sustainable.
