Frank’s formation moved away from the five-man defense that had caused so much fury against Arsenal, operating with a traditional back four protected by Rodrigo Bentancur and Archie Gray. He carried the duo of Richardson and Kolo Muani to good effect.
It was also the line-up that suggested Frank was eyeing Saturday night’s key home game against Fulham with Mohamed Kudus, Joao Palinha, Destiny Udogi, Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simmons left out.
However, Spurs were no worse for it, until they sank beneath PSG’s quality, with Franck choosing to work tirelessly in possession using man-for-man tactics which Luis Enrique’s side initially struggled to counter, picking up the pitch in a way that seemed alien to them at Arsenal.
Spurs were pressing high, trying to win the ball back with a real competitive edge. Despite the painful end result, at least it looked like a Thomas Frank team.
Frank was angry at Arsenal’s lack of aggression from his team, becoming deeply depressed when told that they had won only 17 out of 53 duels and second ball situations.
The commitment cannot be questioned here, but Spurs were undone by momentary lapses, which always threaten final punishment against PSG.
Frank said: “I’m very happy with the performance. It was more about team identity, team bravery and aggression.”
“There were a lot of positives, the two strikers scored three goals between them, the whole team performed really well. The performance was there to take something from the game but then you need to have margins with you, but some of the goals we scored we can’t accept.”
Spurs looked to have taken a reasonable 1-0 lead at the interval but were switched off after a set-piece, giving the brilliant Vitinha the chance to equalise.
This happened again when Pep Matar Sarr carelessly gave away possession just before the hour mark, with the score at 2–2, this mistake ended with Fabian Ruiz giving PSG the lead for the first time.
Vitinha, who starred in PSG’s Champions League win, produced a decisive performance with two surprise strikes, one with his right foot and the other with his left, to erase Spurs’ lead.
Frank said: “Vitinha is the best midfielder in the world. He will be the next Ballon d’Or winner.”
PSG proved too good in the end, but Spurs also managed to answer justified criticism about their lack of threat, with Richarlison and Kolo Muani scoring three goals between them.
It was a good night for Kolo Muani, who had his attempts to make an impact at Spurs halted by a sore foot and broken jaw, which had limited him to just four starts and 345 minutes of action before this game.
Former Spurs and England goalkeeper Paul Robinson told BBC Radio 5 Live: “What I would say is that Tottenham had a different attitude. Their application, their work rate, their pressing, they started higher up the field. There was a lot more to be positive about.
“Unlike at the weekend Frank can put his finger on what went wrong instead of scratching his head and thinking he didn’t recognize his team.”
The landscape has now changed heading into the crucial home game against Fulham – where Frank will again have to convince his opponents that he has the foundation to build on.
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