Thomas Frank says he is “very, very happy” with “small steps in the right direction”
Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank has admitted he was lucky to have his substitutes make a big impact against Manchester United on Saturday.
Spurs were booed off by their own fans at the break after a poor first-half showing. With his side facing another home defeat, Frank introduced Mathys Tel in the 79th minute and the change quickly paid off, the player equalising just five minutes later.
It sparked what looked like an incredible comeback after Richarlison deflected in Wilson Odobert’s off-target effort in stoppage time to take Spurs 2-1 up, before Matthijs de Ligt headed United level deep into added time.
“Sometimes you are lucky,” said Frank. “But of course, I would say that every single time I take a decision to sub a player, it is with one aim – to make the team win, or get back in the game, or try to see the game out.
“One aim – try to win the game. No doubt Mathys did well, great goal, great involvement. In general I think we played a fine game, but also you need a little bit of freshness.”
Asked what he expected from Tel when he brought him on, Frank said: “To score a goal.”
The Spurs manager said he was “very, very happy” with the improvement in the second half, saying “on any other day, we win it”, but he admitted his side are still a work in progress.
“We constantly work on the relationships and try to find what is exactly the right plan,” said Frank. “But today I think there were small steps in the right direction.”
