Attacking Reinforcements Desperately Needs as Frank’s Record Dips Below Postecoglou’s

Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt some heavy blows over the last handful of months – some self-inflicted, others not so much. After winning the Europa League, the club sacked Ange Postecoglou, commencing the race for a new head coach. Later, captain, talisman, and attacking star Son Heung-min announced his departure.

The club scrambled for signings as the summer window wound down, ending up with some solid additions on paper, but there was still plenty of room for improvement. Only 16 games later, Spurs have had a very up-and-down start under Thomas Frank, collecting six wins and four draws to put the new boss one point back of the old in 2024/25.

Frank’s Spurs have only conceded two more goals than Postecoglou’s at this same time last season and are only one place behind. However, the difference in goals scored is stark. This season, only 25 goals have been put away compared to last season’s 36 goals. So, there’s a clear path to improvement for the team as the winter window opens.

Inconsistency Follows Attacking Struggles

Despite the rather strong +4 goal difference for the results, Spurs’ six wins, four draws, and six losses speak to the incredible inconsistency on the pitch. There is a bit of a theme in the losses, though. Across the six, only one has seen Spurs score first.

From there, six recorded the opponent’s first goal within 36 minutes, and two saw the first goal conceded within five minutes of kick-off. Defence hasn’t been the main problem, but slow starts have been, which is why betting in-play online is a solid approach this season. You don’t know which Spurs is coming out until the ball is kicked.

There simply isn’t the attacking spark needed to present a serious threat after conceding a goal. While a flawed metric, there’s something to be said for player xG to date. Richarlison is way ahead in the stats with six goals and a 3.26 xG. He’s followed by a certain towering centre back on 1.70 and then Mohammed Kudus on 1.68.  

Reinforcements Needed

Only having three players with an expected goals average higher than one is very telling. Seeing the players afterwards who’re above 0.5 – mostly defence-minded players – only further enforces the need for attacking talents. Of course, the team wasn’t purely set up to lack in attacking bite.

Dominic Solanke, James Maddison, and Dejan Kulusevski have been greatly missed for what they could bring to the pitch. Some expect the Swede to be back by the March internationals, and the English duo has been seen at the training grounds again, but such hefty injuries can easily lead to another spell out this season.

Spurs must attack the transfer market to solve their attacking woes. Frank has proven that his direct style of play can work in the Premier League, and it even led to some superb results early on, but sometimes it’s simply down to having the right players in the right positions. Randal Kolo Muani showing up would be nice, but not expected now.

It’s been a tough start for Frank’s Spurs, but we know the calibre of the talent in the squad is greater than the results so far. Injuries can’t be overlooked, but to salvage the season, it’ll be up to the hierarchy to splash a little to bring in a reliable and, most importantly, healthy attacking outlet.