How Tottenham Hotspur could line-up under Thomas Frank

Tottenham Hotspur have named Thomas Frank as Ange Postecoglou's successor and the Dane will be aiming to restore Spurs amongst the upper echelons of the Premier League.

Despite leading Tottenham to their first trophy in 17 years, Spurs' dreadful Premier League campaign ultimately cost Postecoglou his job and Frank will be tasked with leading the club back into the top six picture of England's top-flight.

A lack of tactical flexibility undermined Postecoglou, but that won't be the case for Frank, who demonstrated he is capable of successfully altering his tactical approach dependent on opposition and in-game situations.

The Dane prefers to implement a possession-based approach and Brentford's football in the Championship was bold and expansive, only for the Bees to revert to a more pragmatic style in the Premier League in an attempt to be competitive.

As Frank gets to grips with his new role, we take a look at how Tottenham may line-up under his stewardship.

How Spurs could line-up under Thomas Frank

4-2-3-1

Frank's preferred formation by the end of his tenure at the Gtech Community Stadium, the Danish tactician unearthed a productive balance between defensive solidity and attacking threat.

Yoane Wissa acted as the lone striker in front of an attacking trio of Kevin Schade on the left, Mikkel Damsgaard as the No.10 and Bryan Mbeumo on the right, with the latter given licence to drift infield where he forged his fruitful partnership with Congolese forward Wissa.

Transitions were crucial for Brentford and although Frank will want his side to control possession, the ball-carrying abilities of Dejan Kulusevski, Son Heung-min and Brennan Johnson suggests Spurs remain a dangerous force on transition.

Whoever is selected in the front three will be expected to press high in a man-to-man fashion alongside Dominic Solanke, who exhibited great application off the ball during his time with Bournemouth under Andoni Iraola.

Implementing this press requires a high line, an element Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero are accustomed to. Providing there are no departures (and most importantly, no injuries), the back four selects itself with Pedro Porro given the freedom to endeavour forward.

4-3-3

Frank experimented with a 4-3-3 at Brentford before deviating to a 4-2-3-1 which enabled Damsgaard to flourish in the No.10 role, where he scored two goals and registered 10 goals.

While the likes of Kulusevski and James Maddison are easily capable of conducting attacking proceedings, Frank has the option of leaning towards a midfield three with two 8s as opposed to just a No.10.

If that's the case, the endurance and agility of Lucas Bergvall could see the Swede flourish at the heart of Tottenham's engine room.

Expected to provide width in build-up phases, Johnson and Kulusevski will be encouraged to get into the penalty area as frequently as possible while Frank maximises the end-product of Porro by enabling him to get into positions from which he can impact proceedings in the final third.

3-5-2

Frank altered to a 3-5-2 in the latter stages of Brentford's promotion campaign in 2021 and it was a shape he utilised with great success against superior opposition who commanded possession for large periods.

One of Kevin Danso or Archie Gray would accompany Romero and Van de Ven in a central defensive three, while Porro and Udogie are both well-suited to a wing-back role.

Yves Bissouma would anchor a midfield trio to allow the Kulusevski, Bentancur or Maddison to dictate proceedings.

Solanke would spear the attack, although there would be great intrigue as to who partners him. Son has vast experience of operating centrally and Johnson has all of the physical attributes Frank admires in a forward; there would be an expectation for the Wales international to showcase his electrifying speed and stretch the opposition defence by making runs in-behind.