Thomas Frank Accepts Responsibility For Painful North London Derby Defeat Against Arsenal

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Thomas Frank, the manager of Tottenham, took full responsibility for his team's heavy 4-1 defeat to Arsenal in the North London derby. This loss was particularly painful for Frank as Eberechi Eze's hat-trick and Leandro Trossard's early goal led to Tottenham's fourth league defeat. Despite Richarlison's stunning long-range goal in the 55th minute, Eze completed his hat-trick 21 minutes later.

Arsenal's victory extended their lead at the top of the table by six points and matched their largest win over Tottenham. This result increased pressure on Frank, whose team has now lost three of their last five league matches. "It's extremely painful," Frank told Sky Sports. "I won't walk away from that. We can only apologise to the fans for that performance."

Frank attempted to counter Arsenal's attacking prowess by switching to a three-man defence featuring Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, and Kevin Danso. However, this strategy backfired when Trossard scored early and Eze added another before halftime. After the break, Frank reverted to a four-man defence by replacing Danso with Xavi Simons.

Eze quickly doubled his tally just seconds into the second half and completed his hat-trick 14 minutes before full-time. Frank admitted responsibility for his tactical decisions, stating, "I will always take responsibility for my choice." He acknowledged that regardless of formation, they lacked intensity in crucial moments.

Tottenham has faced ongoing issues in attack this season. Against Arsenal, they managed only three shots with two on target. They also recorded the lowest expected goals (xG) totals in a Premier League game this season: 0.07 against Arsenal and 0.1 against Chelsea earlier in November.

This lack of offensive output is concerning as Spurs rank low in xG compared to other teams like Aston Villa (10.9), Sunderland (10.6), and Burnley (8.7). Frank noted that improving this aspect is an ongoing effort: "It has been an ongoing theme that we are working hard to improve."

Looking Ahead

Despite recent setbacks, Frank remains focused on keeping external noise at bay as they prepare to face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday. He expressed confidence in his team's competitiveness despite acknowledging their poor performance against rivals: "Of course, it looks bad; it was not good enough."

The challenge now lies in addressing these issues while maintaining focus on upcoming fixtures both domestically and internationally.