‘very, Very Proud’: Thomas Frank Hails Tottenham Players After Psg Defeat

Thomas Frank described himself arsenic “very, very proud” of a Tottenham squad that came wrong 2 minutes of a celebrated Uefa Super Cup triumph complete Paris Saint-Germain. They were ultimately defeated connected penalties aft squandering a two-goal lead and their caller head was near to rue an inability to crook nan result to their will successful nan shootout.

Goals from Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero appeared to person rocket-launched Frank’s tenure earlier Lee Kang-in and Gonçalo Ramos curtailed nan celebrations. But nan Dane saw plentifulness of encouragement successful nan measurement his players dominated their star-studded opponents for nan first 3 quarters of nan match.

“Very, very proud of nan players, nan team, nan club, nan fans,” he said. “I deliberation nan players gave everything against 1 of nan champion teams successful nan world, possibly nan best. I deliberation for 75 to 80 minutes we were perfect, almost ­giving nothing away.”

Tottenham were decisively undone erstwhile Van de Ven and Mathys Tel missed successful nan shootout but Frank was successful nary temper to apportion blame. “It’s down to nan smallest of margins, for illustration nan flip of a coin,” he said. “I’d for illustration to convey each nan players who stepped up, were brave and took responsibility.”

Frank had group Spurs up pinch a backmost 3 and placed a dense accent connected group pieces, which they practised successful nan warm-up and deployed efficaciously for some goals. It recalled immoderate of his champion activity pinch Brentford but he said nan strategies had been honed specifically to problem PSG. “It was a typical operation,” he said. “In aesculapian position nan cognition succeeded but nan diligent died, truthful not that bully successful nan end. But we worked connected a gameplan that was a small spot different and very adjacent to succeeding.”

There were signs of a greater elasticity than Spurs had tended to grounds nether Frank’s predecessor, Ange Postecoglou. “We showed that we tin beryllium adaptable and pragmatic, and we needed to beryllium against a squad for illustration PSG,” he said. “The measurement we wanted to defend, precocious unit and debased defending, was top, almost perfect, and besides nan group pieces were very bully and dangerous.”

A Premier League opener pinch Burnley awaits connected Saturday and, successful nan meantime, Spurs are attempting to motion nan Manchester City guardant Savinho and nan Crystal Palace ­talisman Eberechi Eze. “We’d for illustration to fortify nan squad, nary uncertainty astir that,” Frank said. “We do activity very difficult to spot if we tin do that. In wide I americium very happy pinch nan squad but successful immoderate transportation model we effort to spot if we tin make nan squad stronger earlier nan model closes.”

The PSG head Luis Enrique praised Lucas Chevalier, nan debutant goalkeeper, who replaced nan seemingly outbound Gianluigi ­Donnarumma. Chevalier should person done amended for Romero’s extremity but saved from Van de Ven successful nan shootout.

“He’s shown characteristic and we want him to merge pinch nan squad immediately,” he said. “Everyone was talking astir nan situation, his wasn’t easy, but he showed awesome character.”