As the tally of turgid performances increases and the worrying results grow, a quote from Thomas Frank in his very first Tottenham press conference continues to do the rounds.
“To not take a risk, is also a risk," Frank declared, insisting his side would play aggressive, front-footed football.
With no sign of that and Spurs reeling from another miserable derby defeat, the main risk facing Frank now is that his approach is losing the fans.
Going to the Emirates is as tough a test as there is for any team. Spurs have won just once there in the Premier League and expectation of improving on that record was low.
These, though, were the kind of games where Frank was expected to thrive. As he did to real success against Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City in August, the Dane has a reputation for devising gameplans for the biggest matches that enable his sides to punch above their weight.
There was nothing resembling that here. Spurs approached the match like a lower league side in a cup match, as though they accepted they simply could not hurt Arsenal.
Even from free-kicks won inside their half, the centre-backs went up and Guglielmo Vicario launched the ball into the Arsenal box. It was a sorry sight.
Frank spoke before the match about the need to win the set-piece battle but Spurs played in a way that made winning any set pieces almost impossible, negating a key strength of theirs.
From the first minute Spurs tried to slow the game down. Destiny Udogie took an age over throw-ins and within 25 minutes referee Michael Oliver had called Cristian Romero over to tell him Spurs had to get a move on.
Those tactics, along with the seven defensive players, sent the wrong message from the very start. Spurs played the match like they wanted it to be over from the first whistle.
They were scared and seemingly shorn of any belief they could win. Once Leandro Trossard opened the scoring, the result felt a sure thing.
The stats, again, were damning. An xG of 0.07 was the lowest any side have managed in the Premier League this season. Spurs also hold second place in those particular standings from their dismal defeat to Chelsea.
The style of play matters at Spurs and Frank must start setting the team up like he knows that or his tenure will be in danger of following the short-lived example of Espirito Santo.
Frank will point to the context of the injuries and that is an obvious factor. Dejan Kulusevski, Dominic Solanke and James Maddison would all improve the team.
The plan, though, cannot be to produce these kind of displays while waiting for them to return, desperately hoping they will transform the team.
The trio were not in the starting XI against PSG or City earlier in the season, when Spurs pressed high, rattled their opponents and played with real ambition.
Spurs have gone significantly backwards since those performances and it is why the pressure is building on Frank. Fans put their faith in a new manager when there are signs of progress, that the building blocks are being put in place.
If a defensive system with five defenders and Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur in front of them still brings a heavy defeat, there is nothing really to get behind. Too often Frank's tactics have the other team in mind more than his own.
With a poor style of play, the team not improving and the worst performances coming against Spurs' biggest rivals, it is not hard to see what the questions on Frank are growing.
Add to that the club's home form - Spurs have not won at their stadium in the Premier League since the opening weekend of the season.
Spurs need some sort of response against PSG on Wednesday, but it is the match at home to Fulham on Saturday that is the biggest of the week. Spurs simply must win that and produce something for fans to hang their hat on in attack.
It is still too soon to say Frank's job is under significant pressure. There is an uncertainty, though, over the club's ownership and how patient the increasingly involved younger members of the Lewis family will be in supporting managers.
Frank has regularly pointed to the fact Spurs finished 17th in the Premier League last season in emphasising the size of the task facing him.
He is right but the club also won a trophy. Fans were given one of the best nights of their lives. Results are of course key but so much of the football-supporting experience is about how a team makes fans feel and the journey they are taken on.
Frank's approach right now is one centred on percentages and safety but there is not enough fun and emotion. It is losing the fans and it is hard to believe the players are particularly enthused either.
The Spurs boss is playing a risky game, but it’s not the one he’s talked about.
