Spurs got their first win on the board in this season’s Champions League against Villarreal, but it wasn’t a pretty performance.
The game was in its infancy when the deciding blow was struck, as Villarreal’s Luiz Junior found himself on the wrong side of the scoresheet after a deflected Lucas Bergvall cross.
That own-goal was all that separated the two sides on the night.
It was an uncharacteristically blunt attack for Spurs. They managed nine attempts on goal, but just one found the target.
The home side really struggled to break Villarreal down, an issue that Thomas Frank was quick to address in the aftermath of the 1-0 win.
Thomas Frank not worried about offensive struggles vs Villarreal
Frank’s side had the better share of possession, but the Spanish outfit’s compact 4-4-2 block stood strong. After the game, Frank was asked for his thoughts on Spurs’ performance on both sides of the ball.
The German coach didn’t seem too bothered by the lacklustre attacking display, saying: “This team, these players, we will score goals and I’m not in doubt of that. I know we only scored our own goal today and struggled a bit on offence, but we will score goals.”
Spurs have eight goals in the opening four Premier League games, and Frank thinks that side of their game isn’t something to be concerned about.
He has been focusing on the defensive side since his summer arrival. He continues: “I think the big thing was that we needed to defend better.
So we work very, very hard on structure, clear principles, recovery runs, and doing the tough job. Just to give us an opportunity to win games, and we’ve proven that so far.”
Frank has certainly gotten a better tune out of the defence, keeping four clean sheets in five games this season. As for the goals, he’s sure the quality will prevail.
Spurs’ league phase schedule sets them up for a Champions League run
Villarreal are never a team to be taken lightly. They have shown a winning mentality in Europe, going deep in the competition when they are involved.
This was Frank’s first big test in Europe, and now the schedule looks very kind for the next few matchdays.
Spurs travel to face Bodø/Glimt next, followed by clashes with Monaco and Copenhagen.
These are by no means easy games, but they are ones Spurs should be winning. The draw has been kind, and there is a real opportunity to build momentum heading into the latter stages of the league phase.
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