'They have something going' - Thomas Frank thinks two Tottenham stars are forming a dangerous partnership

Thomas Frank is pleased to see a key partnership forming within his Tottenham side after Tuesday night’s narrow win over Villarreal in the first round of Champions League group phase fixtures. A huge mistake from Luiz Junior in the Villarreal goal decided what was a very close game between what looked to be two very evenly matched teams.

There were few chances on either side, with Villarreal coming close on a couple of occasions but never managing a shot on target, while Tottenham managed only nine shots in total, which was the fewest of the evening in the Champions League, and aside from the own goal, which came from a nothing cross, Spurs really didn’t come close.

But with all that said, Tottenham came away from the game with three points, and they will be delighted to get the result even without dominating the game. Speaking after the game, Frank pointed out a partnership he is seeing forming between Pedro Porro and summer signing Mohammed Kudus. He said: “Yes, and how do we get gelling, it's when you get good relationships. So I think, for example, on the right side, Pedro and Kudus, they definitely have something going. I think Lucas (Bergvall) came over to that side, it looks right. I think on the left side, Xavi (Simons) and Djed (Spence), good against West Ham, but it's not 100% in sync when maybe it's not going, as an example. We gave so many times the ball away, where we could have played it more second half, which just happens sometimes."

Asked about why Xavi Simons shone in the first half but struggled in the second, he added: “No, I think there could be many, many reasons. I also think there were three, four, five times where he should have had the ball quicker to create something. But around the day, it was just unfortunate."

Speaking about the win more generally, Frank added: “I thought it was a big win. In any competition it's good to get three points and get a good start. I'm happy with that. I'm happy with the clean sheet. I'm happy with the defensive side of the game. I think we were extremely good and limited Villarreal to very little throughout the game. They were a good team I really admire. Obviously, offensively, we struggled on the day to create something against a good team. They also defended very well, which we knew in the 4-4-2 structure. They were very aggressive.

“When we were on the day, I think, they needed the highest level in terms of touch, passes and decision-making, and they nailed that. Then it was a very even game that we edged in the end. What I like is that our foundation is strong. Now we are four games won, three in the Premier League, one in the Champions League, and we have four sheets, which is massive. Obviously, we are building the offensive structure more and more. Xavi Simons has just come into the club. It's fair to say he and Djed need a little relationship, of course, to get going. No complaints, it's just natural. I think there was a spell in the second half where we decided to give the ball away every single time we had it. We gave the ball away, let's bring it back. Oh, give it away, let's bring it back. Of course, it's a little bit easier to sit here with a smile, but of course, at that level, we will raise of course."

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