Carragher suggests Thomas Frank's style will need to evolve if he is to truly win over Spurs fans

Martin Macdonald

• Updated: 31 Oct 2025 07:02 CDT
• 3 min read

Nieuws

Jamie Carragher has warned that Thomas Frank may have to develop a more attacking style of football to truly win over Tottenham fans.

Spurs have had numerous coaches over the last 15 years and each has come with contrasting styles that stretched to both ends of the tactical spectrum.

There was the pragmatic style of Jose Mourinho and Nuno Espírito Santo that didn't go down too well in the stands, while Ange Postecoglou's swashbuckling attacking football was great to watch at times, but left the team constantly exposed at the back.

Frank is arguably on the pragmatic side, too, but has enjoyed a fine start to his Spurs career as his team currently side third in the Premier League, five points behind leaders Arsenal.

Funnily enough, no team has scored more than Spurs, while their defensive record is only bettered by the Gunners.

Carragher knows that Tottenham fans will eventually demand free-flowing football as well as victories under Frank.

"Spurs fans like what they are seeing with the team’s improved results. For the time being, Frank’s pragmatic approach is probably more tolerated than adored," the Liverpool legend said in his Telegraph column.

"My instincts are that the relationship between Frank and his new fanbase will be a slow burner.

"For the past two years it felt as though many Spurs supporters were being blinded by the idea of what they were trying to be rather than what they actually were – a team far too easy to expose.

"During my lifetime, the Spurs fanbase have been one of the most obsessed about insisting their team play in a certain way. They never took to Jose Mourinho or Nuno Espirito Santo for that reason.

"The desire to play beautiful football is hardly exclusive to Spurs. Every top club in the world wants to play a technically brilliant style, although, for the majority, trophy-winning football trumps being regarded as one of the most attractive teams."

Could Spurs challenge at the top of the league?

With big name clubs such as Man City and Liverpool stumbling out of the blocks this season in the league, Carragher has enticed Spurs fans to "dream big" under Frank and reckons Champions League qualification would be a magnificent achievement after last campaign's 17th-place finish.

"Spurs are in third place, and Frank will have done an amazing job if he keeps them there," he continued. "This is the season to dream big given the problems at other clubs. If England continue to have five Champions League spots, Spurs are well placed to take one of them through their league position.

"Spurs were style over substance for too long under Postecoglou. He never beat Chelsea as Spurs manager. Now a period of substance over style gives them a great chance of making a statement against a top-four rival.

"Longer-term, and in a vastly different way, seeing how Frank goes about trying to give Spurs the best of both worlds will be as captivating as Postecoglou’s gung-ho approach."

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