Frank from Spurs challenges the “traitors” of Arsenal in the London derby

Thomas Frank Anticipates a “Madhouse” Derby at Arsenal

Tottenham coach Thomas Frank has issued a warning to his team to prepare for a “madhouse” derby against Arsenal. Frank plans to outsmart the “two traitors” on the opposing team in this highly anticipated match. Tottenham face their arch-rivals on Sunday, seeking only their second Premier League victory at the Emirates Stadium since it opened 19 years ago. Although Spurs’ recent record in the North London derby is not favorable, this match always promises equal parts drama and excitement. Frank, who managed a draw with Arsenal last season with Brentford, remembers his first Premier League match in 2021, which ended in a memorable 2-0 victory. However, two key players from his starting lineup in that match, David Raya and Christian Nørgaard, now play for Mikel Arteta’s team.

Thomas Frank coached David Raya and Christian Nørgaard at Brentford.When asked about the frantic nature of the match, Frank joked: “Two of them are now traitors and moved to the wrong club!”

The interesting thing is that both Mikel and I would probably want a little more control, but it will probably be a ‘madhouse’ and very, very enjoyable to watch for people outside or the fans. I expect a difficult match, of course, but a match in which anything can happen. Everything is also balanced a little more due to how competitive it is and the atmosphere in the stadium.

Thomas Frank

Frank also spoke about the importance of set-piece shots, an aspect in which Arsenal has excelled this season, with 12 goals from corners and free kicks. Tottenham has also been productive in this aspect, with five goals in the Premier League, thanks to the hiring of Andreas Georgson as a set-piece coach this summer. Georgson worked with Frank at Brentford, and Arsenal’s set-piece specialist Nicolas Jover also started under the Danish coach in West London. “Both are very curious, both want to learn and constantly develop by studying the game of set pieces, so in that sense they have the same mentality in many aspects,” Frank reflected. “Mikel and I, with our coaching staff, will have a battle: how can we get ahead? And it will be the same with Nicolas and Andreas.”

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Frank believes that his work at Brentford has inspired other clubs to focus more on set pieces. “I’m pretty sure that what I’ve done at Brentford has inspired many clubs to focus more on set pieces and it’s quite interesting that this year going from Brentford to Tottenham, the increase in attention on set pieces for all teams, especially long throws, is crazy. It seems that everyone is very, very focused on them, which we should be. They are a third of our goals. So, why not be very good in that phase and very good at high pressing? We need to be good in many phases.”