Thomas Frank was brought to Tottenham as the pragmatic choice so will know the logical next steps when supporters are demanding his sacking. An underserved draw, thanks to a last-minute Cristian Romero goal, leaves Spurs with two victories in 14 Premier League matches and chants from the away end of “We want Frank out”.
If the loss to West Ham resulted in crisis talks last Sunday, Frank must fear if Tottenham have their own version of a Cobra meeting, especially with the faithful angry. Micky van de Ven gave them hope of a much-needed win, but Spurs did not capitalise on the opener, allowing Burnley back into the match. Axel Tuanzebe and Lyle Foster made the pressure almost unbearable for Frank until Romero offered the briefest of respite.
Beating Borussia Dortmund in midweek moved Tottenham up from rock bottom, but if there was an improving mood, it was not evident here. There was no aggression or quality to their play with a hardening background hum of discontent from those who had travelled up from London. A minority even brought up the name of a certain Mauricio Pochettino.
Frank has been backed with the signing of Conor Gallagher and potential arrival of Andy Robertson to provide experience to a naive and thin squad, but whether the head coach will get to work much with these players remains to be seen.
When the opener from Van de Ven arrived it was barely merited. It came at the end of Tottenham’s best spell of the game after a very scrappy opening half-hour. Martin Dubravka had been forced into three saves in quick succession. Burnley showed their own fragility by not clearing a corner, allowing the Dutch centre-back to pounce like the centre-forward Tottenham are clearly lacking.
A Champions League team should have built on this opening against a side who have now failed to win in 14 Premier League games, but, instead, they allowed Burnley back in. One bone of contention for Spurs supporters is the defensive approach instilled by Frank, an attempt to counterbalance the chaos of the gung-ho Ange Postecoglou era but it is not working. He selected three centre-backs against a side often blunt up front and boasting 23 goals in 22 matches before kick-off. Offering lamentable football against second-bottom does not create much of an argument for remaining in post.
Even with the additional numbers at the back, they were unable to keep the hosts out. It came as a surprise when the equaliser arrived. Kyle Walker provided a superb cross and Tuanzebe was at the back post in space to continue the theme of centre-backs masquerading as strikers. The Spurs defensive trio impersonated statues. It was Burnley’s first shot on target of the match at a crucial time just before the break.
Smart movement in the early stages of the second half earned chances for Armando Broja and Dominic Solanke. They should have done better with their finishes, but it gave hope of a more dynamic game.
Burnley had the greater urgency about them, but still lacked the touch of class that would provide an opening. Tottenham were lethargic, unable to get up the pitch while Burnley played with an increased tempo, drifting into the shadows of the match. The aggression shown by the home side brought an increased noise inside Turf Moor.
As Spurs’ season has been, the second Burnley goal had a little comedy about it. Jaidon Anthony had endured a tough afternoon, misplacing passes in promising positions, but when it truly mattered he jinked and thought about getting a shot away, before slipping the pass through to Foster instead, finally proving he can make the difference. The first shot was saved by Guglielmo Vicario, but the South African reacted first to jab home, even with Kevin Danso’s best attempts to stop it, as the ball trickled over the line.
Xavi Simons rattled the crossbar late on as Spurs pushed a rapidly tiring Burnley as far back as humanly possible. With seconds ticking down, Frank could rely on his captain to provide the backbone missing. The Wilson Odobert cross came from the right and Romero spared Frank from complete humiliation, while providing a blow to the heart for an industrious Burnley. A point was not enough for the Tottenham fans who are not for turning.
