TOTTENHAM BOSS THOMAS FRANK HAS BEEN SPEAKING ABOUT EVERTON’S QUALITY AHEAD OF SUNDAY’S CLASH WITH THE TOFFEES. SPURS HAVE HAD A TRICKY WEEK, LOSING TO ASTON VILLA IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE LAST WEEKEND BEFORE ONLY PICKING UP A POINT AGAINST MONACO IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DURING THE WEEK AND GETTING OUTPLAYED IN THE PROCESS. EVERTON HAVE HAD A SOLID START TO THE SEASON, AND THEY ARE SO FAR UNBEATEN AT THEIR NEW STADIUM, SOMETHING TOTTENHAM WILL WANT TO CHANGE THIS WEEKEND. DAVID MOYES HAS A REPUTATION FOR MAKING TEAMS HARD TO PLAY AGAINST, BUT THIS EVERTON SIDE DOES HAVE A LOT OF INDIVIDUAL FLAIR AND QUALITY, AND FRANK RECOGNISES IT. “FIRST AND FOREMOST, I THINK EVERTON IS A VERY COMPETITIVE TEAM WITH MANY GOOD PLAYERS – MORE THAN JUST (JACK) GREALISH,” HE SAID WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE ENGLAND INTERNATIONAL. “I THINK BETO HAS BEEN GOOD UP FRONT, NDIAYE HAS BEEN VERY GOOD. DEWSBURY-HALL. A GOOD COLLEAGUE AND FRIEND OF MINE, DAVID MOYES, IS IN CHARGE AND HIS TEAM IS ALWAYS VERY, VERY COMPETITIVE. HE’S A MANAGER AND A PERSON I RESPECT MASSIVELY IN THE GAME. AND THEN OF COURSE GREALISH, I THINK IT’S ALSO DOWN TO, OF COURSE ALWAYS THE PLAYER, BUT ALSO PART OF THE COACHING STAFF, THE MANAGER AND MOYES HAVE GOT GREALISH TO FLOURISH AGAIN. HE IS THEIR MAIN CREATOR, NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT. HE’S SO DANGEROUS, HE CAN CREATE SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING IN EVERY GAME, SO OF COURSE WE NEED TO BE WARY.”
TOTTENHAM HAVE A VERY TOUGH RUN OF GAMES OVER THE COMING WEEKS, WITH NEWCASTLE IN THE CUP AFTER THIS ONE, THEN GAMES WITH CHELSEA, MANCHESTER UNITED AND ARSENAL ARE ON THE DOCKET CONSECUTIVELY. ASKED ABOUT THAT RUN, FRANK ADDED: “I’M LEARNING EVERY DAY ABOUT THE TEAM AND THE PLAYERS, THE INDIVIDUALS. I SEE A VERY WILLING GROUP TO WANT TO WORK HARD, TO PERFORM, TO DO THEIR BEST FOR THE TEAM AND THIS WONDERFUL CLUB. I LEARNED AFTER A VERY COMPETITIVE PERFORMANCE AGAINST VILLA, I THINK OKAY, THERE’S SOMETHING HERE, VERY INTERESTING, I KNOW WE LOST, BUT THE PERFORMANCE, THAT’S WHAT I NEED TO LOOK AT ALL THE TIME. I ALSO LEARNED ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT AGAINST MONACO – TWO EXAMPLES. IT’S EVERY DAY AND YOU CAN SAY IT IN A WAY, I CAN’T REMEMBER THE NUMBER OF WEEKS WE WERE DOWN THE LINE, BUT THEN THERE WERE MORE, BUT MY FOCUS RIGHT NOW IS ON EVERTON.”
WHAT FRANK EXPECTED FROM THE OPENING WEEKS
FRANK HAS ENJOYED A SOLID START TO THE SEASON, WITH TOTTENHAM LOOKING MUCH MORE SOLID THAN THEIR LAST CAMPAIGN. “I THINK IF WE LOOK AT THE PERFORMANCES IN THE GAMES WE’VE PLAYED SO FAR, 13, I THINK IT’S BEEN ONE BAD GAME AGAINST BOURNEMOUTH, THERE’S BEEN A BAD SECOND HALF AGAINST WOLVES AND A BAD SECOND HALF AGAINST MONACO,” FRANK ACKNOWLEDGED. “I THINK THE REST HAVE BEEN GOOD, OR GOOD PLUS, OR VERY GOOD. AND WHEN I TALK THAT I’M NOT TALKING ABOUT EVERYTHING IS FREE FLOATING, BUT I JUST THINK YOUR ROLE, HOW YOU’RE COMPETITIVE IN A GAME, YOU ARE AGGRESSIVE, YOU PLAY WITH INTENSITY, YOU TRY TO GET CHANCES, YOU PLAY BEHIND THEM AND ALL THAT, SO I THINK THAT’S THE WAY YOU BUILD A CULTURE IN A TEAM.”
