Spurs vs Manchester City | Every word of Thomas Frank’s pre-match press conference

Thomas Frank spoke to the media at Hotspur Way on Friday, ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash against Manchester City at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Here’s what he had to say…

What’s the latest on Micky van de Ven?

Thomas: “Micky is a minor one. He will be touch and go for Sunday. We're hoping. He was on the pitch yesterday, on the pitch today. So, hopeful for that, but it's touch and go.”

Congratulations on getting through to the last 16 of the Champions League. Is the message now to forget about that and full focus on the league?

Thomas: “For me, it's always been full focus on the next game. So, it's full focus on Man City on Sunday. We definitely need to build on some good performances. As I said, not everything has been perfect, but now, as I calculate, the last 10, it's more consistent, it's more, we compete better, we are constantly improving but especially the last three games, it's much more over 90 minutes. I think the three performances there, that's the thing we need to bring into Sunday and going forward.”

In September, you said you don't look at a league table until April - but back then, did you envisage that you'd be around 14th?

Thomas: “No, I didn't. I'm very aware, and I think I said that a few times, I'm very aware that this, you always hope for more. You're always in football, you know, small things, you can turn and you can get a little momentum or sometimes you get more. Sometimes, for whatever reason, you don't get the momentum. Very aware that this season is a season where we are, as always, and we should be for Tottenham, very ambitious, but it is a transitional season, a transitional season where we need to be very ambitious, do as good as we can in every single competition. I definitely expected and hoped and believed that we would be higher. I also think, it's fair to say, some of the margins that we could easily, easily like this, have had six points more, then it’s completely different talk. Unfortunately, we haven't. It is what it is, and we need to keep going.”

It’s deadline day on Monday - you’ve had so many injuries, but because you look to the future as well as the now, is there a possibility that there might not be any new arrivals on Monday?

Thomas: “The club work relentlessly to try to do the best they can to improve the squad, especially Johan, Fabio and Vinai, and of course all the people behind them. I mean it, we can't be too obsessed with short-term fix but not helping on the long-term, because if we don't do that, all the hard work we put in now can be limited for the future. That's not that we want badly short-term success as well. I can promise that the Lewis family is super committed to this project. They want to do everything. I will go against my rule, hopefully only once, that there's no doubt it's clear that the club wanted to sign Semenyo. They did everything. I think that's a clear signal that the Lewis family is very committed. That's a big signing, with finances and all that. So, it's a line, but that's the quality of player we are looking for to improve the squad. If we can't find that, then it's definitely better to take the right decisions. It's not the same that we're just getting quality players going forward, because we all know it's not that easy. I'm sure if we're not, for whatever reason, able to get another player in, or players in, this window, then for the summer, it's a big summer ahead. I'm not in doubt we'll see big improvements there.”

How pleased are you with Dominic Solanke’s fitness, his recovery process, and how sharp and ready is he for this weekend?

Thomas: “It was so nice to have him back, and when he was through on goal it was so nice that you just had that feeling, ‘okay, this is a goal’ and he just proved that. Like always, there's a lot of thought process and analysis behind every decision we try to make in team selection. Of course, it was tough not to bring Dom in again in a very important game, but all signs, all my experience, told me that it's not the right thing to do that. Kolo did very well and then Dom came on and killed the game for us. He's still building, but he's ready to start on Sunday.”

What's the biggest challenge you're facing against a Pep Guardiola side? How different is this current version of Man City?

Thomas: “Pep is the best coach in the world. He proved that many times. I think what he's done over the years is he's extremely innovative. He's always changing and, how can I say, playing around with positions, offensive positions, different types and different positions. From going maybe wide wingers to a little bit more inside, depending on how he plays it, with the Cherki or Foden or Semenyo or Haaland or Reijnders. He's playing around with different offensive positions. I think the City team now, when they're in full flow, I think there's a threat from so many angles that we need to be aware of, but I also see some areas that we hopefully can explore.”

How impressed have you been with Mark Guehi’s progress over the years?

Thomas: “I've seen Guehi all the way from Swansea, where we played him in the Championship. That's a few years. He's been on quite a journey, and he has impressed me in many ways. He's extremely composed in all his defensive actions. That means he's never rushing. To have a calm defender is a good thing, because normally they're in the right position and they clear calmly. On the ball, he takes amazing decisions.”

You spoke about having Dominic Solanke back – how vital is that when you consider that a lot of your goals recently have come from your two centre-halves?

Thomas: “First and foremost, it's extremely positive if you have two defenders scoring that many goals. If then we can add more goals from our offensive players, then we will be in a good place. We have a lot of offensive talent, for example, Wilson and Mathys Tel. I also think we have it in Xavi, who's played quite a lot. He's still only 22. I think all the three of them will score a lot of goals going forward, but of course, they're not as proven goal scorers or as proven goalscorers in the Premier League – although Xavi has scored quite a few goals in the past. So, to miss our main striker, I don't think any team is happy with that for six months. That's been, of course, been a blow, but that's what we need to handle. So, to have Dom back in, not only for his goal-scoring abilities, clearly, you've seen that now in the two Champions League games, but also his hold-up play, his link play, his ability to press and just that presence on the pitch and in the changing room, that's big.”

Do you worry about your team's mentality a little? Champions League is fine - Premier League, you're eight points off the relegation zone, 10 points off the Champions League places. Do your players prefer playing in Europe to playing in the Premier League?

Thomas: “I don't think that. I think it's a bit more complex than that. It's a skill, as an individual player and as a team, to perform every third or fourth day in the Premier League and in Europe, no matter if it's the Conference League, Europa League or the Champions League. When you take it up a notch from the Europa League to the Champions League, it's even more difficult. I think it's fair to say we've seen it over the years with a club that is not as used to it, year in, year out, that it can be tough to do that, because it's the physical load, it's the mental load that they need to be able to produce again and again and again. I think we've seen some good signs of it. I actually think we haven't been that bad after the Champions League games. I think actually we had some good performances after that. If we, let's say, in the Christmas spell there, had got six points more, we wouldn't have the talk we're talking about now. The robustness, physically and mentally, is the biggest thing. That's a learning curve. I don't think you have many players in our squad that have done that - just for two seasons. So, that's a learning.”

A couple of years ago, when City came to Spurs right at the end of the season, Spurs fans were a bit conflicted about who they wanted to win - if Spurs won, they were happy because they were Spurs fans, but if City won, they were happy because they stopped Arsenal winning the title. We're a little bit further out now, but do you think some Spurs fans might have a similar kind of mindset?

Thomas: “I don't know. I know that the Spurs fans will support the team. I understand the conflict, but I'm not in doubt they'll be happy if we perform well, and beating City is important for us. It's all about us. We, the staff, I, the players, we'll do everything we can to put a top performance out there and win.”

Is the 3-4-3 formation something you've been considering for a while, or with the players available, did you want a shape that fits them?

Thomas: “I think it's a combination of... try and get our best players in their best possible positions. With the players available, it suited them quite well, 3-4-3. I knew more or less will do it against Dortmund no matter what, because the way they came, I think that would suit the game plan and everything. We looked good. Then on top of that, with the players’ availability and so on, so then we carried on for the following two games. And it's definitely something that we could consider going forward with, because I think a lot of our players look good in that. Also there's a lot of good bits, especially offensively, 3-4-3 looks good, closer connections that I like.”

You’ve so many long-term injuries now, Brennan Johnson has left - is it fair to say that your squad is weaker than it was when you went into the transfer window?

Thomas: “I think that's fair. I think we lost, I can't remember, six or seven players inside three weeks in January. That's crazy, some of them extremely unlucky, definitely Lucas and Ben with clear contact injuries. I can't remember all of them, but there were definitely too many. So, of course it’s weaker than when we started on the first.”

As a club, how do keep your nerve with the short-term/long-term idea where you can leave yourself so short for the rest of the season?

Thomas: “That's a good question, the best clubs take good, calm, sensible decisions. Also, when it's, how can I say, a little bit windy and not going as well as we wanted to, because I think that's key for what we want to build. It's absolutely key. I also think there is some players that are looking to come back relatively quick-ish in Pedro and Richie, definitely. I think there's two on top of my head. That would help as well.”

As a talisman for the team, what can Dominic Solanke do for the rest of the season?

Thomas: “I’ve always liked Dom, and I've followed him for many years here in England. I think the last season he had at Bournemouth, he was absolutely on fire, 19 goals in the Premier League. Then he was a little bit unlucky. He's normally a super robust player, and then he came to Spurs and he got an ankle injury, and then another one. So, he had a little bit of a  disrupted last season, but still scored a decent amount of goals and looked like a threat. He was one of the players, when I stepped in the club, I was like, ‘I'm sure he will score a lot of goals for us,’ and I'm not in doubt. He's got all the qualities, the way you want to play, the principles I have, the goalscorers I normally produce, number nines, he will do the same. I'm not in doubt of that at all. So, it feels a little bit like a new signing, and he will only get better over the next weeks.”

Semenyo – that’s quite a commitment from the owners. How close did it get? What could he have brought to the team? What is the signal from the owners that they're going to give you that sort of money to rebuild this team?

Thomas: “I think the biggest thing, and the question I want to answer is, I think it shows big, big commitment from the Lewis family. The fans and everyone involved should not be in doubt of that. They're really, really committed to this going to be successful. We all want it to be a bit better, but all the processes, all the things are beginning to tick behind the scenes. I'm not in doubt we'll see big benefits of that in the future, not in doubt. I'm not in doubt that we will improve and we'll do better throughout the season. I'm not in doubt we'll take a good step, a massive step forward in the summer as well. They are very, very committed.”

We’ve seen the team up and down this season – how do you make sure that you're not going to have a down performance against City?

Thomas: “I really wish I could say that I'm 100% sure we'll be top, but I have a very good feeling, because you're working with human beings and that's the beauty of it. I'm convinced that we will perform well again on Sunday, because it just looks better and better. We are facing a top team with top players, but we are ready for it.”

Can you understand from the fans' point of view why they feel they need to see more action (in the transfer window), especially this month?

Thomas: “Yes, the fans just want the best for the club, just like I want, the owners, the staff, the players, everyone wants the best for the club. It's also fair to say that the transfer window is not Football Manager, unfortunately, it is not. It would be a lot easier, but also a little bit more boring. We don't have as many good stories to talk about. The last 30 days you couldn't go to work basically because there was nothing to write about or talk about. So, it is very difficult, the transfer market. It's an art, it's a craftsmanship. You need to be very good at it. And then there's always a selling club that wants to sell, there needs to be a club that wants to buy, and there's a player in the middle that also wants to come. That's always the challenge. What I'm happy about is that I think we've already done great business in getting Conor in. I think that's a great deal and a great player that fits everything we want for this club. The commitment… you can say Semenyo, that’s a big step. Again, I'm just repeating myself. I'm not doubting it will be very good going forward.”

How confident are you that when you get to the middle of March, the club are not going to be embroiled in a relegation battle?

Thomas: “Of course I understand that the result has not been good enough, no doubt about that. There's been spells in some of the games where we've been a bit disappointed with, that we’ve addressed, that we're working on. I think the biggest thing we've seen throughout the season is we've seen the players running hard. You can look visually, you can look at the physical numbers, you can look at all that, they're just running hard. A good indicator as well is some of the three second halves where we're behind at half-time, running very, very hard to the end. I think that's the foundation you need to build anything on. So, it's one game at a time and we are ready for City and it's all about that.”

You mentioned Pedro and Richarlison are closest (to returning)... Arsenal on February 22nd - could that be a potential time for them to come back?

Thomas: “That could be a dream scenario, and it just could happen. We will know a little bit more when we get closer - but it's in that bracket.”