Ange Postecoglou was frequently criticised for being too dogmatic (although he did tweak his tactics to win the Europa League), but his successor Thomas Frank is renowned for being flexible and tailoring his approach to his squad.
Frank is often categorised as a back three guy, but Ruben Amorim, he certainly is not.
Although formations are more fluid than the number of configurations suggest, it is illustrative of Frank’s adaptability that Brentford used seven different ones in the Premier League last season. Interestingly, Frank only picked a back three (or five) on four occasions.
Brentford’s seven formations in 2024-25 – and how often they used them
4-2-3-1 (22) 4-3-3 (8) 4-4-2 (3) 5-3-2 (2) 4-3-1-2 (1) 3-4-2-1 (1) 3-5-2 (1)*Numbers in brackets indicate the frequency of the formation being used. Data via WhoScored.
Frank’s tendency to change tack as frequently as Daniel Levy changes his managers makes second-guessing his potential masterplan in north London tricky, although he could well lean on his most recent Brentford blueprint.
The towering Kristoffer Ajer (6ft 6ins) predominantly played at right-back – at least until the exciting, attack-minded Michael Kayode broke through – giving Brentford the flexibility to alternate between a back four and a back three.
Brennan Johnson was Tottenham’s top scorer with 18 goals last season (Photo: PA)
Radu Dragusin (on the right) and Micky van de Ven (left) are possible Ajer equivalents at Spurs, although there is little prospect of the Dutchman being uprooted given his importance in the middle.
In midfield, Frank favoured physical, dynamic players like Christian Norgaard, Vitaly Janelt and Yehor Yarmoliuk who pressed aggressively and forced turnovers. Norgaard ranked joint-tenth in the league for tackles and interceptions combined.
Lucas Bergvall and Rodrigo Bentancur can perform those roles, although Spurs are likely to prioritise signing a new ball-playing, ball-winning number six over the summer. Adam Wharton , or someone of his ilk, would be absolutely perfect.
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James Maddison often operated slightly deeper under Postecoglou, largely due to the absence of a progressive passer from midfield, but is a classic playmaker in every sense. He would relish playing just off the striker with freedom to roam and create.
Only four clubs outscored Brentford’s 66 in the Premier League, although 17th-placed Spurs weren’t far behind on 64. There are plenty of good finishers in the squad, and as mentioned here, Brennan Johnson, who Frank admires, should have a big role to play.
Frank helped wide forwards like Mbeumo, Wissa, Schade and Watkins become more clinical and could fine-tune Tel’s game. Dominic Solanke will be confident of improving on his 16 goals, given strikers tend to score plenty in Frank’s teams.
It could work, though. In Dragusin and Kevin Danso, Tottenham possess two centre-backs who are great in physical duels but less accomplished on the ball than Cristian Romero and Van de Ven. Deploying them as a sweeper would accentuate their strengths while masking their weaknesses.
Both Porro and Udogie are suited to overlapping wide wing-back roles, having excelled there previously for Sporting Lisbon and Udinese, respectively.
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Spurs have an abundance of wide players in Johnson, Son, Kulusevski, Tel (if signed), Richarlison, Wilson Odobert and Mikey Moore, but fewer centre forward options.
Frank has time to work things out before the Premier League season kicks off in mid-August. New signings are a must, given how poorly Tottenham performed in the league and how thinly stretched the squad was in the winter.
Frank predominantly used a 4-2-3-1 formation last season (Graphic: The i Paper)
How Spurs could line up (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bergvall, Bentancur; Kulusevski, Maddison, Johnson; Solanke
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