Apologies seem to be a recurring theme at Tottenham, with the club constantly finding reasons to express regret to their fans. The Spurs managers and players are often seen apologising, but this has long since lost its impact on the supporters. The north London club seems to spend more time saying sorry than daring to do, and Sunday was yet another instance of this.

Despite not having won at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League for 15 years, Tottenham still managed to hit a new low during their most recent visit. This wasn’t a clash between two north London rivals. It felt more like an FA Cup match where a lower-league team visits a major Premier League club, hoping to hold on, cause frustration, and snatch something from a set piece.

Thomas Frank’s tactical approach to the game said it all. It sent a clear message to his players that they weren’t up to the task of taking on a depleted Arsenal side in a direct confrontation.

Starting with a back three, launching the ball long to a solitary striker, hoping for gains from set pieces, playing the percentages and making use of Kevin Danso’s enormous long throws might be acceptable for a manager’s first competitive match when his philosophy isn’t yet firmly established.

However, over three months into the season, it’s hard to discern what positive, attacking style of play the Danish manager has instilled in this Tottenham team.

He highlighted that Mikel Arteta has had six years to develop his Arsenal team, suggesting that three months plus a month of pre-season ought to be sufficient time to implement systems that at least enable a side to generate scoring opportunities.

Relying on an Austrian international’s throw-ins as the primary source of creativity hardly aligns with Danny Blanchflower’s vision when he famously declared: “The game is about glory, it is about doing things in style and with a flourish, about going out and beating the lot, not waiting for them to die of boredom.”

Following this latest fixture, Opta claimed that Frank’s Spurs have registered the two lowest expected goals totals in a Premier League match this season, against Arsenal (0.07) and Chelsea (0.1). This is a club historically synonymous with daring and attacking football, yet currently displays neither quality.

Even Frank acknowledged upon his June arrival: “I always say this one-liner: if you don’t take risks, you also take risks. So it’s important we take risks. Risk is you need to play forward.”

The current Tottenham outfit poses about as much threat as being struck by a feather-filled cushion wrapped in bubble wrap.

When asked what aspect of this dismal derby performance disappointed Frank most, prompting the 52-year-old to pause, exhale, and glance around the room.

“Where should I start? This is of course hugely disappointing that we didn’t perform better in the game against Arsenal, our biggest rivals. I can only apologise to the fans for that,” he admitted. “I was very confident on Friday when we spoke that we would be competitive today and we weren’t over the 90 minutes. We tried to come here and be aggressive and press high and in spells go after them. We didn’t succeed with that bit. We didn’t manage to get near enough to them in the situations we could.

“It means we got pushed back and got a little too passive. It looks like we are running after them. When we finally got on the ball we were not good enough to get out of those situations.

“No matter how painful it is to admit, they are definitely six years down the line and we are four months down the line but even with that I was still expecting much more from us today. Not that we could dominate over 90 minutes, but that we could be as competitive as we were against Man City and PSG.”

Yet being competitive ought to be a minimum standard rather than an aspiration. Blanchflower never suggested the beautiful game was about ‘being competitive’.

At the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, Tottenham managed merely three attempts on goal, all arriving after the interval and from distance. Two came from Xavi Simons, who wasn’t considered worthy of a starting berth and had to be introduced at half-time when matters had already unravelled following a disastrous opening 30 minutes.

Prior to that, Spurs’ approach seemed designed to send everyone inside the stadium, opponents included, into a state of tedium.

It’s hardly a viable strategy for a club of Tottenham’s stature and the outcome reflected exactly that. It was almost written in the stars that Eberechi Eze would be the one to dismantle Tottenham.

Spurs had attempted to sign the 27-year-old during the summer, only for a persuasive call from Arteta to sway him towards his childhood team.

Tottenham not only handed the England international the first hat-trick of his senior career on Sunday, but they also allowed him to score virtually identical goals three times, failing to learn from each successive strike from the edge of the box.

The match kicked off with Leandro Trossard’s touch, turn and hit from Mikel Merino’s lofted pass into the box.

A momentary respite from the Spurs fans’ despair came in the form of a spectacular goal from Richarlison, just past the halfway line, following a tackle from Joao Palhinha, who seemed to be the only visiting player aware they were playing in a derby.

However, this match was all about Eze demonstrating what Tottenham had missed out on. He had seven touches in the Spurs penalty area during the game, compared to the visitors’ combined total of four in the Arsenal box.

Instead, they were left hoping for successful long balls up the pitch to Richarlison, which seldom occurred.

Then there was Danso’s long throw, which was only really used once and was followed by loud complaints from Spurs’ restart coach Andreas Georgson about the Arsenal substitutes who had gathered around the touchline the centre-back needed to launch his throw from.

Whether this represented a deliberate, disruptive tactic from Arteta or his set-piece specialist Nicolas Jover, who previously worked under Frank, or was merely coincidental, remained uncertain. But it clearly irritated Georgson.

Whilst Frank is correct that set pieces and long throws warrant attention as significant goal-scoring opportunities, they ought to complement imaginative attacking play rather than serving as the primary tactical approach.

It must be emphasised that Frank has no intention of delivering tedious football, and his Brentford sides have consistently produced entertaining performances while scoring prolifically, with attackers such as Ivan Toney, Bryan Mbeumo, and Yoane Wissa combining effectively.

However, he must rapidly establish attacking fluency within this Spurs squad, as supporters will lack the patience to await the return of players like Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke, followed by additional weeks for match sharpness, or indeed the January transfer window and the initial examination of the new Lewis family’s commitment to strengthening the club.

“It is concerning, of course. We are working very hard to try to make [the creativity] better but sometimes it’s not only playing out and finding a nice pass but also in a game like this if you see some of the situations where they won it high, Arsenal, then there was a little bit more open space,” Frank said.

“We didn’t win it enough in those situations and then create from that. For me the creativity, I know it was very low, but it was not my biggest concern today.”

It ought to be among Frank’s primary worries, as Tottenham fans will overlook defensive lapses if their side is generating chances and finding the net going forward.

Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario didn’t even bother protesting about Eze’s opening goal, despite offside Arsenal players obstructing his view.

“I think the way the game went it wouldn’t have changed anything. There were three people in front of me so of course they impacted me, but we didn’t lose the game for that,” the goalkeeper told Sky Sports.

Ex-Spurs forward Les Ferdinand, working as a Sky pundit, was scathing about both the display and Frank’s tactical approach.

“Tottenham were that bad today. It’s embarrassing to watch. Halfway through this game I was hoping I could go in the box with Michael McIntyre. I didn’t want to watch anymore,” he said.

“You can’t come to Arsenal in the North London Derby and not put everything on the line. I think the manager got his tactics wrong today. He came here to be negative and to sit back and try and hold Arsenal off, and I think that just sent out the wrong message to the players, because they just couldn’t get out again.

“Arsenal scored the first goal, and that was it. Tottenham were done.”

The Spurs boss faced questions about his tactical setup and whether his team selection had set the stage for the entire dismal afternoon. “I’m a very big believer that no matter what system you play you can be successful. I completely understand the question and I will always take the full responsibility. The full responsibility will always be on me today when we didn’t perform,” he said.

“I picked a team that played 5-4-1, changed it at half-time, very clever, one minute into it they scored. 3-0. Then the rest is history after that.

“What I would say is that no matter if we played another system we needed to be more aggressive and better in the duels. That doesn’t matter to the system but I need to take responsibility for everything today.”

He continued: “You can say that [it sent a message to the players], but there are so many ways you can see it in that aspect. I’ve seen lots of teams, including my own team, playing also 3-5-2 or 3-4-3, being very aggressive, positive, forward-thinking. That was not the case today. So I don’t think it’s about the system.”

Xavi did at least inject some energy into Tottenham’s attack, despite Frank’s side conceding within 60 seconds of the tactical switch.

When questioned why the Dutch midfielder, brimming with confidence following his midweek strike for the Netherlands and recent improved performances for Spurs, wasn’t in the starting XI, Frank responded simply: “Yeah, ‘he’s been] better, better. I think that was a tactical decision. Wilson has done well. So it’s one of him or Xavi or Wilson [Odobert].”

Odobert was noticeably under par in this North London Derby, touching the ball just 23 times and failing to make an impact in the Arsenal box. His contribution was limited to a single pass throughout the game.

The Frenchman’s attacking statistics were largely non-existent, save for one successful dribble.

However, it would be unfair to single out the 20-year-old as no player emerged from the match with any credit, bar Palhinha, who made eight tackles, twice as many as any other Spurs player, and Vicario, who managed to keep the scoreline at a respectable 4-1.

Richarlison joined Erik Lamela in scoring a spectacular goal in an otherwise disappointing North London Derby defeat. However, the Brazilian was consistently outperformed.

The full-backs, Destiny Udogie and Djed Spence, also struggled, with Spence’s performance levels dipping in recent weeks.

The team’s key players, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Rodrigo Bentancur, failed to lead by example, while Mohammed Kudus looked exactly like a player returning after a lengthy absence.

After the match, Frank made the ill-judged decision to hark back to last season.

“There’s definitely a lot to work on still. I think it’s fair to say that we are very disappointed and unhappy with the performance today. I don’t want to run away from that,” he said. “As I said, I apologise to the fans.

“I think it’s also fair to say where we’re coming from. We finished 17th last year, and we’ve tried to build something, which today didn’t look like we’d tried to build something.”

However, pointing to that 17th-place finish will inevitably remind supporters of the European silverware that very same squad claimed under Ange Postecoglou, rather than prioritising their top-flight campaign in its closing stages. It was Frank himself who stated during his initial unveiling that he aimed to develop what Postecoglou had established.

The Australian’s injury-ravaged outfit travelled to the Emirates back in January this year, fielding a makeshift centre-half partnership of Radu Dragusin and 18 year old midfielder Archie Gray, protected by rookie reserve goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky.

Despite falling 2-1, they registered more than treble the number of efforts Sunday’s Spurs mustered, whilst also striking the framework. They recorded 21 touches inside the Arsenal penalty area compared to the current team’s mere four.

Whilst a loss remains a loss regardless, the fact Frank fielded his strongest defensive unit in a cautiously structured system, yet conceded four times and required a spectacular strike to salvage any response, presents an unflattering picture. Winning over the fans requires two things: performing well in derbies and securing victories at home in front of a crowd of around 60,000.

Frank is currently struggling with both, and the upcoming fixtures aren’t doing him any favours. Wednesday sees a daunting trip to Paris to face European champions PSG, who are likely to be in a different physical state compared to their August encounter.

Following this, there’s a crucial home game against Fulham on Saturday night, which will be played without Spurs’ suspended captain Romero due to his fifth booking of the season. This is followed by an away match against a Newcastle side fresh from defeating Manchester City, and then a home game against Frank’s former team, Brentford.

As 2025 draws to a close, there’s a Champions League home tie against Slavia Prague, followed by significant challenges: an away game against a revitalised Nottingham Forest, a home match against Liverpool (who surely can’t continue their current slump), and finally, a trip to Crystal Palace, who are currently fifth in the table with just two losses so far.

Frank needs to find a solution. Tottenham have dismissed as many managers as they’ve issued apologies in the past six years, and the Dane must demonstrate his adaptability and put a stop to the managerial merry-go-round.

He’s at a club undergoing significant changes off the pitch, but on the field, it seems stuck in a cycle of switching between different managerial styles, with little sense of direction.

Doubts are mounting amongst supporters regarding the quality of football on display, the timid performances in the derbies against Chelsea and Arsenal, the ongoing woeful home record, and some are beginning to wonder whether the former Brentford manager is out of his depth.

However, when Spurs appointed Frank, they conducted thorough research. They employed data analysis to identify 50 coaches who matched their requirements, including several theoretical candidates they knew were unavailable, to guarantee a comprehensive comparison framework.

To maximise their chances of avoiding past errors, they compiled a list of 10 essential qualities for potential candidates, with a proven history of attractive football, nurturing young talent and strong media communication skills amongst them.

After considering all the criteria, this produced a shortlist of four contenders for the role. Each prospective candidate met with the club, and Frank emerged as the board’s and technical director Johan Lange’s unanimous selection.

This suggests Frank possesses the capability to deliver far more than what he and his squad are currently demonstrating.

The Dane must come out fighting. He needs to heed his own philosophy: “If you don’t take risks, you also take risks.”

No more apologies, no more expected goals figures beginning with zero, and definitely no more timid and passive displays. To dare is to do.

It’s time to be Frank, not sorry.