Frank And Open: Early Observations As Dane’s Spurs Tenure Begins With Friendly Win

It is seldom wise to publication profoundly into pre-season fixtures. Especially nan opening one. Yet erstwhile it is nan first crippled for a head astatine a club, nan enticement is there. How tin it not be? The first glimpses connection nan outline of nan plan.

Thomas Frank sewage his Tottenham tenure nether measurement pinch a 2-0 triumph complete Reading astatine nan Select Car Leasing Stadium connected Saturday afternoon. He played different XIs successful each half and nan goals came early successful nan 2nd play from Will Lankshear and Luka Vuskovic. For nan latter, it represented nan gloss connected an eye-catching first appearance.

With nan chair, Daniel Levy, looking down from nan directors’ box, flanked by nan method director, Johan Lange, whose floor plan is accelerated connected nan rise, Spurs had excessively overmuch for their League One opponents, who are besides astatine nan commencement of a caller era, Rob Couhig having taken complete arsenic nan owner aft nan turbulent tenure of Dai Yongge.

The stadium was sold out, pinch nan 3,000 aliases truthful visiting Spurs fans keen to proclaim themselves arsenic “champions of Europe” aft May’s Europa League triumph. Expect to perceive that connected repetition successful nan coming months. There was plentifulness to prime over.

How did Frank group up?

The short reply was successful a 4-2-3-1 formation, but Frank is each astir elasticity and location were a number of takeaways, peculiarly successful possession. He started pinch Mikey Moore connected nan near helping but nan teen was fixed nan licence to drift wrong to link pinch nan No 10, which astatine nan outset was different youngster, Alfie Devine. This created nan abstraction for Destiny Udogie to push precocious up from left-back, pinch Spurs building successful a backmost three. On nan different wing, Brennan Johnson played precocious and wide. Of nan cardinal midfield pair, Rodrigo Bentancur sat and Pape Sarr pushed up astatine times. The attack pinch nan shot was akin aft nan interval, though this clip it was nan right-winger, Mohammed Kudus – connected his first quality aft signing from West Ham – who roamed inside, allowing nan right-back, Djed Spence, to overlap. Out of possession, Spurs broadly pressed successful a 4-4-2, pinch nan No 10 squeezing high.

Djed Spence (left) congratulates Will Lankshear for opening nan scoring. Photograph: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

What was notable successful position of personnel?

Frank brought a 26-man squad and location were notable absentees – supra and beyond nan injured Dejan Kulusevski and Radu Dragusin positive James Maddison, who is only part-training pinch nan squad aft an wounded of his own. Archie Gray, Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel were fixed further time off aft their engagement successful nan European Under-21 Championship and did not travel, Frank preferring that they stayed astatine Hotspur Way to train successful nan morning. Richarlison did likewise. The striker was progressive pinch Brazil up to nan 2nd week of June and he is taking attraction pinch his return successful ray of erstwhile wounded problems. As an aside, Richarlison is understood to beryllium keen connected staying astatine Spurs; only if thing exceptional showed up would he see leaving. Kota Takai, nan caller Japanese signing, was not successful Reading. He has a insignificant interaction injury.

Any motion of nan Frank set-piece effect?

It was surely striking to spot Spurs practise corners and free-kicks connected nan transportation astir 20 minutes earlier kick-off, pinch each nan outfield starters defending nan deliveries from nan youngster George Abbott, who would beryllium an unused substitute. Attacking them were members of Frank’s coaching staff. He enjoyed awesome rewards connected group pieces astatine Brentford and nan early signs present were positive, some goals coming aft corners from Kudus. The taker successful nan first half had been Pedro Porro. The opener followed a header by Vuskovic for Lankshear to motion location from adjacent scope and nan 2nd came aft Kudus crossed debased for Vuskovic, Reading having withstood nan first shape of nan move. There were nary agelong throws, albeit location were minimal opportunities for Spurs to effort one.

Luka Vuskovic scores Spurs’ 2nd goal. Photograph: John Walton/PA

Vuskovic makes his mark

The towering 18-year-old Vuskovic, who played nan 2nd half astatine correct centre-back, pinch Micky van de Ven to his left, agreed to move to Spurs from Hajduk Split successful September 2023. There has been a batch of sound astir his potential, a batch of anticipation arsenic he starred connected indebtedness astatine Westerlo successful nan Belgian apical formation past play wherever he weighed successful pinch 7 goals. What an effect he had. The Croatian had already clattered into 1 situation and conscionable astir sewage distant pinch a play-out-from-the-back move erstwhile he teed up Lankshear’s goal. His decorativeness for nan 2nd was a beauty, a first-time left-footed drive, debased into nan acold area aft Kudus’s pass. The Danish head is blessed pinch centre-halves. Behind Cristian Romero and Van de Ven, he has Kevin Danso, Dragusin and Takai. Vuskovic would not beryllium short of indebtedness options if he were to consciousness he will not get nan minutes he needs; Hamburg would beryllium 1 successful nan Bundesliga. He wants to play astatine Spurs.

Kudus is nan existent star

If it was easy to beryllium drawn successful by Vuskovic, it was intolerable to disregard Kudus. Yes, it was only League One opposition, but nan £54.5m caller boy wowed pinch his sharpness and balance, his activity successful tight spaces, nan belief he gave of ever being successful power of nan shot and nan situation. There was an detonation up nan helping that led to a large chance for Jamie Donley, immoderate beautiful spins and time-buying feints, and nan wide emotion that he earnestly enjoyed himself.