When Daniel Levy decided to part ways with Ange Postecoglou, despite the Australian delivering Tottenham their first major trophy in 17 years, few were truly shocked. It wasn’t about the style of football—it was effective and entertaining—but rather the results, which consistently fell short of expectations. Even a series of injuries to key players couldn’t shield Postecoglou from the axe.

Enter Thomas Frank.

Is Thomas Frank the right man for Tottenham?

Brentford’s progressive Danish coach appeared to be the perfect antidote to Postecoglou’s occasionally high-risk approach. Like his predecessor, Frank favors attacking, attractive football—but with a touch more tactical discipline. At least, that was the expectation before he arrived at Spurs.

Fast forward to now, and after a heavy 3-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest, doubts are beginning to surface over Frank’s suitability for the role. Managing a club of Tottenham’s stature is an entirely different challenge from his previous experiences.

Sixth defeat in 16 games

The loss left Tottenham 11th in the Premier League with 22 points, just two above Bournemouth in 15th, marking their sixth defeat in 16 matches. Spurs had come off a morale-boosting win against Brentford, which ended a five-game winless streak, and were expected to go into the game at the City Ground as favorites.

However, Sean Dyche’s Forest side proved that effective football doesn’t always have to be pretty.

Tottenham outworked and outplayed

Forest deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation that mirrored Spurs’, with Elliot Anderson and Ibrahim Sangare dominating the midfield. Anderson led the match in touches (84) and, alongside Sangare, repeatedly disrupted Tottenham’s play, winning the ball back six times each. Their relentless pressing allowed Callum Hudson-Odoi and Omari Hutchinson to wreak havoc down the flanks, with Hudson-Odoi scoring twice, both assisted by Sangare. Hutchinson also impressed, registering joint most shots, chances created, crosses, successful dribbles, tackles, and ball recoveries for the match.

By contrast, Tottenham struggled to assert themselves. Archie Gray had the only shot on target, while Micky van der Ven’s 50 accurate passes mostly circulated in defense. The midfield lacked cohesion, with Mo Kudus managing only 21 accurate passes, many lateral or backward, highlighting Tottenham’s inability to penetrate Forest’s pressing. Richarlison, starved of service, touched the ball just 16 times with only three accurate passes.

A worrying trend

The lack of intensity and purpose across key areas of the pitch is increasingly concerning. Tottenham were outworked, second-best to nearly every ball, and failed to impose themselves on a side clearly desperate for points.

With upcoming fixtures against Liverpool, Crystal Palace, and Brentford, the pressure on Frank is set to increase. If performances and results do not improve, the Danish coach could find himself under significant scrutiny as the new year approaches.