Thomas Frank: A tactical analysis

Thomas Frank was confirmed as Tottenham's new manager on Thursday evening.

Tottenham Hotspur have got their man, and the fans appear to be on board.

It is fair to say that the N17 faithful had mixed opinions on Ange Postecoglou, especially throughout the second season, but there was still some surprise when chairman Daniel Levy decided to press the panic button on Friday, sacking the Australian boss just 16 days after winning a European trophy.

But the news on Thursday that Spurs have appointed highly-rated manager Thomas Frank has been met with widespread positivity among the fanbase.

Frank, 51, has led Brentford from mid-table Championship finishes to top half in the Premier League on a shoestring budget compared to his top-flight counterparts. With a vision based mostly on statistics and data analysis, Frank has developed a reputation for picking up players for nominal fees, developing them into star players, and selling them on for large profits, with notable examples being Ollie Watkins, Said Benrahma and Ivan Toney.

Tactically, the Dane is very different from Postecoglou, yet he possesses a tactical vision that is equally as eye-catching, and will undoubtedly get the Spurs fans on his side.

Let’s explore his tactics at Brentford, and see which current Spurs players will fit well into his systems, as well as who they should be signing to adapt to Frank’s style of play.

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During his seven-year tenure at the West London club, Frank developed a reputation for tactical flexibility, with his sides able to perform competently and confidently in two, sometimes three, formations. In his first full season, 2019/20, Frank’s Bees side finished 3^rd in the Championship, their highest league finish since the 1950s, having taken the division by storm with a progressive, innovative style of play, with an ability to play in a flat 4-3-3 formation. The likes of Said Benrahma, Bryan Mbeumo, Ollie Watkins, Josh Dasilva and Pontus Jansson all became key players in their respective positions – all of whom having been bought for combined reported fees of merely £8.5m. Benrahma, Mbeumo and Watkins, the formidable trio nicknamed the BMW, registered a combined total of 57 goals in the league alone, while Dasilva became an influential figure in midfield. Jansson, meanwhile, was part of a defense which conceded just 38 league goals, the second-least in the division, and formed a solid partnership in the heart of the defense with Ethan Pinnock.

That first full season allowed the world to see the true, innovative style of play of Thomas Frank. Goalkeeper David Raya, now with arch-rivals Arsenal, was required to play out with his feet, which he did effectively and impressively. A flat back four, usually consisting of Henrik Dalsgaard, Jansson, Pinnock and Rico Henry allowed for man-to-man pressing and a very high yet narrow defensive line, allowing the defense to win the ball back and, given their position near the centre of the pitch, making it more difficult for the opposition to recycle possession.

The midfield three, mostly Mathias Jensen, Dasilva and now-skipper Christian Nørgaard, were instructed to create overloads going forward, by way of creating underlaps and arriving late in the opposition penalty area to get on the end of the frequent crosses. With Jensen and Dasilva excellent going forward – the latter especially, registering 10 goals during the campaign – and each possessing a seemingly endless tank of stamina to help out with Frank’s narrow defensive shape.

Meanwhile, the BMW up front did not score a combined 57 league goals by accident. The overloads created by the three forwards, and two – sometimes three – central midfielders getting into the opponents' box, were usually a nightmare to defend against for the opposing teams, being outnumbered in their own penalty area. The incredible natural chance-creating abilities, especially from Benrahma, and clever movement in the box, allowed Brentford to simply walk the ball into the back of the net at times, especially against defensively poor teams – see their 7-0 home victory over Luton Town as a prime example. Direct diagonal balls and switches of play from midfielders (especially Nørgaard) and centre backs (especially Jansson) out to wingers Benrahma and Mbeumo allowed the two to cut inside and look for an underlapping run, or attempt a shot themselves – both of them were more than capable.

The start of 2020/21 saw a willingness from Thomas Frank to switch formations at will during matches to a 3-5-2 formation. Outgoing striker Ollie Watkins was replaced effortlessly by Ivan Toney, and new man in midfield Vitaly Janelt took to Frank-ball like a duck to water. And while they also lost Benrahma, previous fringe players such as Emiliano Marcondes and Sergi Canos stepped up to replace the Algerian’s exceptional levels of creativity.

The 3-5-2, while keeping the prime principles of Frank’s style of play, allowed for further unpredictability, given the Bees’ ability to seemlessly change formation mid-game, sometimes with absolutely no prior warning. The wingbacks are usually the ones underlapping in this system (with the exception of Kris Ajer, the centre back signed the following season who would often underlap on the right-hand side. This was seen as naïve given that Brentford were newly-promoted at the time, and while playing against stronger attacking teams, they were left with one fewer centre back and, once the transition was conceded, the Bees were extremely vulnerable), though the central midfielders would often make runs in the channels.

Many goals scored under the Dane are products of crosses from the wingbacks to the back post. The numerical advantages inside the box create space out wide, with the opposition focusing on defending the box. The opposition fullback is often occupied by the run of a winger, leaving space at the back post for the wingback on the opposite flank to score.

To confuse matters for the opposition on a further scale, the formation would sometimes change to a 3-4-3, with two central and two attacking midfielders behind the lone striker in Toney to create more options in the centre, a preference of Frank’s. This creates shorter time between passes, and in turn less time for the opposition players to press, giving Frank’s players more time to control the ball.

These principles and formations have been kept throughout Frank’s career with the West Londoners in the Premier League, though with upgraded personnel. While only two players remain from Frank’s first full season in charge – Mbeumo and Nørgaard – Brentford have bought wisely, using a data-driven approach to find the perfect players for the system.

Last season – 2024/25 – saw the Bees finish in 10^th place, their second-highest position since returning to the top flight in 2021, using a three-at-the-back system for the vast majority of the campaign.

Goalkeeper Mark Flekken, though good with his feet similarly to Raya, was a fairly erratic shot-stopper at times – his distribution, in a system where goal-kicks, both long and shot, need impeccable accuracy, made up for the mistakes made at times with his hands. The flat back three was made up of three excellent ball-playing defenders in Pinnock, Sepp van den Berg and the impressive Nathan Collins, now linked with a move to Spurs. Given the pace and stamina possessed by all three, the high defensive line was a true example of how the system works when the right players are being utilised.

Wing-backs Keane Lewis-Potter and, for the back end of the season, Michael Kayode, were not afraid to underlap, arrive late in the opposition box or produce excellent crosses for the attacking players to get on the end of.

The midfield four as previously mentioned largely consisted of skipper Nørgaard and Yehor Yarmoliuk playing in the deeper roles – both excellent going forward and tracking back – and Mikkel Damsgaard and Mbeumo playing in the advanced roles – Frank’s fellow Dane has come on leaps and bounds since arriving in West London, while Mbeumo has developed into one of the finest attackers in the Premier League and hit 20 league goals last season.

Yoane Wissa up front (though he and Mbeumo could seemlessly change roles) could do it all as the number 9: attack crosses with his head, link up with Mbeumo and Damsgaard to create space, or hold the ball up and wait for a marauding run from Lewis-Potter or Kayode on the outside.

With these players and system, it’s no wonder that Brentford have established themselves as a top-half side.

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So, how would this system suit the players at Tottenham Hotspur, and who would they need to bring in?

Underneath are how Spurs could line up next season, first with a 4-3-3 and then a 5-3-2 formation (using just players from the 2024/25 season).

First choice keeper Guglielmo Vicario seems to be holding onto the number 1 shirt fairly comfortably, but has proven in the past that his distribution needs some work. Backup keeper Antonin Kinsky, signed in January, has already shown his abilities with his feet – could we see him become first choice under Frank?

Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero are obvious centre-back choices, provided that the Argentinian does not leave before the start of the season as has been rumoured, and van de Ven has the capability to perform as an underlapping wide centre back in a 3-5-2 system if required. Kevin Danso, having impressed when called upon, could be the third centre back in that particular system.

The wingbacks pick themselves, Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie have been the clear first choices in their positions over the last two seasons, with Djed Spence waiting in the wings if required. All three options have the ability to cross the ball from out wide, especially Porro, though they may need to work on arriving late in the opposition area to attack the ball.

The midfield three will contain Dejan Kulusevski and Lucas Bergvall, both able to get up and down the pitch and arrive to attack the ball in the opposition area, but Tottenham may want to invest in a number 6 – to play a similar role to Nørgaard. While Yves Bissouma is a solid option, he may end up leaving the club before long. Carlos Baleba at Brighton is a name that has been mentioned, which could be a very good piece of business – the Cameroonian has the ability to win the ball back and spray passes all across the pitch.

James Maddison, entering his third season in N17, is an excellent creative option to play that Benrahma-style role – he can create chances, hold the ball up and cut inside from the wing and shoot into the far corner if needed, and can play in the centre of midfield, out wide or behind the striker.

Meanwhile, Dominic Solanke up front will fit Frank’s system like a glove: a more than capable goalscorer (similarly to Toney during his time with the Bees), but wonderful at holding the ball up and bringing others – marauding wingbacks or underlapping midfielders – into play (similarly to the likes of Wissa). 

Another attacking option, to 'play the Mbeumo role' if you will, may well be required. While Brennan Johnson and Mathys Tel are very good options on the wing, would they have the ability to cut inside, bring others into play, and, crucially, score more consistently? If we look at it that way, Johnson would be a better option given his proven ability to arrive at the back post to get on the end of crosses across the box.

Heung-min Son is another option, but at 32 and with links to a Saudi Arabia move not dying down, let’s assume that Frank relies on another option, at least for the long term. Mbeumo himself has been touted to follow Frank to North London, as well as Wissa, but will Daniel Levy break the bank to sign either of them? Time will tell.

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In short, Tottenham Hotspur will be gaining not only a tactical genius and excellent backroom staff, but also an excellent man-manager, with reports suggesting Frank is a very good communicator and regularly checks on the wellbeing of his playing staff. And, given that a number of senior figures in the dressing room were deeply disappointed at the departure of Postecoglou, having a manager to get on the players’ side would no doubt have been high up on Levy’s list.

While changes in personnel may be required in order for the Dane to have the players he desires, the current Spurs squad should be able to be drilled to playing Frank-ball fairly easily over the course of pre-season. While I’m not going to put my neck on the line and say with confidence that 2025/26 will be an exciting time to be a Tottenham supporter, it is safe to assume that Frank will be able to steady the ship and be setting up his vision for the long-term.