Thomas Frank cut a relieved figure after he watched his Tottenham team dismantle Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.
Cristian Romero and Dominic Solanke scored the goals in a 2-0 win, and when Daniel Svensson was sent off in the first half, the writing was on the wall for the Bundesliga outfit.
What’s your immediate reaction after watching Tottenham beat Borussia Dortmund?
Frank had been linked with the sack before this game, but after such a comprehensive performance, he will almost certainly get the chance to claim a big Premier League win against Burnley on Saturday.
After the game, Frank looked delighted with his team’s performance and although he confirmed there is work to do in the Premier League, he praised one player for playing through the pain barrier.
What Thomas Frank said about Xavi Simons after win over Dortmund
Simons was absolutely brilliant, according to Ally McCoist, during the contest and it’s fair to say that he was in contention for the Man of the Match accolade.
Despite a dominant display, Frank admitted in his post-match press conference that Simons was actually playing through an injury to help Spurs out in this one.
He said on TNT Sports: “I think first and foremost there were many good bits and I think I liked his mentality to push through an injury, playing with pain is hard but he had some very decisive actions on the pitch tonight.”
Simons has only managed three goals and five assists since arriving in North London and the challenge now is to take this level of consistency into his Premier League displays for the remainder of the season.
Simons shone during Champions League win
Simons was awarded a 7.27 score from Who Scored and it highlights just how good Spurs were that five players scored higher marks.
The Dutch player is only 22-years-old and it’s quite scary just how good he could become in the future and hopefully that will be at Tottenham.
Describe Xavi Simons’ performance vs Dortmund in three words…
Simons now has a chance to get some rest before Saturday and with the injury situation not seemingly easing any, it might be wise for Frank to wrap him in cotton wool ahead of the weekend.
The Champions League appears to be a competition that Simons loves to play in but now he needs to start showcasing his quality more often than not when it comes to the Premier League.
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