2026-01-20 10:49:49
Thomas Frank has insisted he will not be distracted by criticism as pressure builds on his Tottenham Hotspur reign.
The 51-year-old is under mounting scrutiny following a damaging 2-1 Premier League defeat at home to West Ham, with Spurs struggling domestically ahead of Borussia Dortmund’s visit in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday (20.01.26).
Even so, Frank has emphasised he will “keep focused, calm and keep going”.
Speaking to TNT Sports, he said: “As a football coach, you want to win matches – and we’re not at the moment.
“Fun is not the right word, but it’s not as nice or as easy going as you’d like. You use more thinking time, about every single little decision, and think about how we can turn things around, how we can improve.
“Sometimes, I have to look at things from a bigger perspective and think of how the performance was – outside of all the noise.
“The only thing I can do is keep focused, calm, and keep going.”
Frank arrived in north London in June 2025 with a reputation built at Brentford for overachievement and calm authority, but life at Spurs has brought a level of scrutiny he rarely faced in west London.
Tottenham’s form at home has been a particular concern, with just four Premier League wins in their last 25 matches at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – a statistic that has followed the club across multiple managers.
Frank said: “The reality is that we’re building a club that wants to compete at the top end of the Premier League whilst also playing in the Champions League.
“Last year, we played in the Europa League and didn’t finish where we wanted to in the league, so we know the reality in terms of where we need to get to.
“There are signs that we are moving in the right direction with a lot of new appointments, and I see signs on the pitch. But we just need a few more wins.”
European form has offered some respite, with Spurs maintaining a perfect Champions League record at home so far, setting up a high-stakes meeting with Dortmund.
Frank said: “In the Champions League, we’ve definitely been consistent with our performances and have got good results. We face a good Dortmund side, but we now have another fantastic opportunity. We need to go for it.”
The Spurs head coach also addressed the growing frustration among supporters, acknowledging the atmosphere can tighten when results falter.
He said: “It’s always nicer to be in the good times than in these challenging times. But I am definitely functioning very well in times like these. I don’t care about all the criticism and all the noise – I need to focus on myself and have resilience.”
With Spurs short of options and just 11 senior outfield players available, the Dane emphasised he knows the challenge is significant.
He said: “If you have your back against the wall, you have to fight – and we will.”
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