Tottenham home crisis deepens as Frank’s system confuses players

Tottenham’s ongoing battle to rediscover any sense of stability at home took another hit on 29 November 2025, as Thomas Frank’s side sank to a 2-1 defeat against Fulham. The loss extended Spurs’ run to just three wins in their last 21 Premier League home matches — a sequence no manager wants attached to their name. The match statistics, which showed Spurs dominating possession (63%) yet lacking conviction in both boxes, only reinforced the growing dissatisfaction around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Sky Sports and other outlets reiterated the bleak trend, but the numbers hardly needed repeating: this Spurs team feels lost. 

Fulham, who arrived without an away league win all season, needed barely four minutes to take the lead through Kenny Tete. Two minutes later, Harry Wilson doubled the advantage. Spurs had not conceded first in six straight home league matches since 2003 — until now. Although Mohammed Kudus pulled one back on the hour, Tottenham never looked truly threatening. Their 0.86 xG felt generous for a side that created little beyond hopeful crosses and predictable wide overloads.

The question now is no longer whether Spurs are progressing under Frank, but whether they are regressing at alarming speed. And after another confused tactical display, the evidence is stacking up.

Frank inherited a squad already bruised by inconsistency under Ange Postecoglou, yet the expectation was that stability, organisation, and identity would soon follow. Instead, Tottenham have won just once at home in the league since opening day against Burnley, and the atmosphere in N17 is turning anxious.

Supporters expected a response after heavy defeats to Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain. This was supposed to be the fixture that restored belief. Instead, Wolves collected one of their two points of the season at this ground, and now Fulham have secured their first away win here.

When Tottenham become the team struggling sides target for momentum, you know something is broken.

Frank’s first half against Fulham may go down as Tottenham’s worst 45 minutes of the season — and that’s a competitive field.

The Dane unveiled a baffling shape that essentially scrapped a recognisable left-wing presence. Lucas Bergvall and Richarlison drifted aimlessly, leaving Destiny Udogie to cover an entire flank alone. Fulham’s first two goals came directly from that exposed channel.

Spurs funnelled their attacks down the right, allowing Fulham to read every movement. Pedro Porro and Kudus appeared stuck in a cycle of blocked crosses, while Joao Palhinha’s glance toward Frank mid-half said more than any post-match quote could.

Frank didn’t change the system until after the hour mark — a delay that baffled supporters and players alike. For a team desperate for clarity, this approach only compounded confusion.

The £52m signing of Xavi Simons was meant to elevate Tottenham’s creativity, yet more than a third of the season has now passed, and the picture is worrying. The midfielder has produced just one Premier League goal involvement — an assist from a corner on debut.

More damaging is Frank’s growing reluctance to start him. Simons has sat out matches against Arsenal, Chelsea, and every Champions League away fixture. The pre-match insistence that this was merely rotation no longer holds weight. If Fulham at home does not qualify as a “Simons game,” fans are entitled to ask: what does?

His introduction on the hour changed little. One deflected shot over the bar was his sole threatening contribution. In a team lacking invention, Simons’ exile is becoming a defining subplot.

Having followed Spurs closely this season, it’s clear this isn’t just a tactical slump — it’s a confidence collapse. The team look unsure of their identity, unsure of their tasks, and unsure of their manager’s direction. Fulham didn’t expose Spurs with brilliance; they simply punished the structural holes Spurs left open.

Although some supporters believe time will fix Frank’s system, the evidence suggests the opposite. Each week the patterns look less refined, not more. The defensive balance is worsening too, which is unusual for a coach whose strengths traditionally lie in structure.

In our view, Frank is juggling too many ideas at once: hybrid roles, asymmetric shapes, rotating wingers. The attempts to modernise Spurs’ build-up are admirable, but when a squad lacks familiarity, these tweaks become traps rather than solutions. The Xavi Simons dilemma is emblematic — a talented creator lost in a tactical blur.

Tottenham face Newcastle United on 2 December 2025 — a daunting challenge given their current fragility. Whether Simons starts, whether the shape shifts again, and whether Frank can arrest the downward spiral will define the next phase of Spurs’ season.

👉 What do you think — should Frank strip the system back to basics or persist with his complex tactical ideas?