SACKED: THOMAS FRANK FIRED BY TOTTENHAM AS THE "BIG SIX" MANAGERIAL CULL CONTINUES
Thomas Frank becomes the 7th Premier League manager sacked this season. Discover why Spurs acted and what it means for Arne Slot.
Half the managers who started the season in charge of the Premier League’s so-called Big Six have now been fired, with Thomas Frank the latest to go after leaving Tottenham.
Honestly, it’s been ages since the “Big Six” really meant six reliably top teams on the pitch, but Frank’s exit just shows how ruthless things get at the very top of soccer.
Frank can’t really argue with the decision. Over the last 20 games, the Spurs have dropped to 18th in the form table and sit just five points above the relegation zone. If Benjamin Sesko hadn’t buried that injury-time chance at the London Stadium on Tuesday, Tottenham would only be three points clear.
Frank is the seventh Premier League manager to lose his job already this season, joining Nuno Espírito Santo, Graham Potter, Ange Postecoglou, Vitor Pereira, Enzo Maresca, and Ruben Amorim.
Nuno lost his job at Forest after guiding them into Europe last year. Maresca and Amorim both had their teams in decent shape when they left Chelsea and United.
Arne Slot’s situation at Liverpool feels a little different. Slot still has a good relationship with people at the club, unlike Nuno, Maresca, and Amorim, who all fell out with their bosses. Nuno and Nottingham Forest’s owner, Evangelos Marinakis, just couldn’t work together anymore. Maresca and Amorim got tired of constant power struggles at Chelsea and United.
Meanwhile, Liverpool’s sporting director Richard Hughes went out of his way to back Slot, even joining him on a recent episode of The Reds’ Roundtable. “Of course,e we talk about football and performances, but I always let Arne lead that,” Hughes said. “Naturally, ly in a conversation, I will come up with an opinion and not just react to Arne's, but always waiting for the right time to share these things is critical.
“We had synergy right from the first moment. Understanding who he is as a football manager, how he wants to work, and trying your best, and it's not always possible to put them in the best possible position to have all the tools they require, and that's what I feel my job is then.”
Having a good relationship with the higher-ups is nice, but results matter most. Both Slot and Hughes know Liverpool needed to start winning games if Slot wants to stay for the long haul.
Slot probably has more goodwill to burn than Frank ever did at Tottenham, but expectations are sky-high at Liverpool. He knows that as well as anyone.
IGOR TUDOR CONFIRMED FOR FRIDAY PRESS CONFERENCE AMID TOTTENHAM SACKING RUMORS NOW
Igor Tudor survives for now as Tottenham confirm he will face the press ahead of their high-stakes trip to Anfield.
Tottenham's interim boss, Igor Tudor, somehow gets to fight another day, even after losing every match since stepping in. The club just announced he’ll face the press on Friday, right before their brutal trip to Liverpool. The pressure’s mounting, relegation is suddenly a real threat.
Tudor, 47, hit a new low when Spurs got hammered 5-2 by Atletico Madrid in the Champions League. He made a gutsy call, benching regular keeper Guglielmo Vicario for 22-year-old Antonin Kinsky. It backfired almost instantly; Kinsky let in two soft goals in the first 15 minutes and got yanked before halftime.
Most people agreed Kinsky had to go, but Tudor didn’t even acknowledge the young keeper as he trudged off. That set off former Spurs keeper Joe Hart, who couldn’t believe Tudor didn’t at least try to console him. With this disastrous start, the worst for any Spurs boss, many figured the Croatian wouldn’t last until the Liverpool game.
For now, though, his job seems safe. Since the club confirmed he’ll be at Friday’s press conference, it looks like he’ll be in the dugout at Anfield.
But let’s be honest, if Tottenham get thrashed by Liverpool, Tudor’s future will be front and centre. They’ve lost four in a row and are now just one point above West Ham in the drop zone.
West Ham is hosting Manchester City, and Nottingham Forest (17th) plays Fulham. If both those teams win and Spurs lose, Tottenham will tumble into the bottom three.
On top of that, it sounds like Tudor is losing the dressing room. Football London reports that plenty of Spurs players think he’s been too strict and even disrespectful since arriving.
That moment in Madrid summed it up: after pulling Kinsky just 15 minutes in, Tudor didn’t say a word to him. Conor Gallagher, Joao Palhinha, and Dominic Solanke, all on the bench, chased after Kinsky down the tunnel, probably realising how much that rough debut stung.
The squad noticed Tudor’s silence, and he didn’t do much to back Kinsky in his post-match interview either. He did offer a bit of support during the press conference, saying:
"Unfortunately, it happened in this big game, these mistakes. He was sorry. The team is with him; I'm too.
"I was speaking with him. He understands the moment; he understands why he goes out. As I said, he's a very good goalkeeper.
"We are with him; we are all together. It's never about one player. It's happened. It's the Champions League again. We paid for this at the start of the game."
That’s about as much as he offered. Whether that’s enough for his players or the club remains to be seen.
THE 9-POINT GAP: UNEARTHING HOW A ASTON VILLA VICTORY COULD PERMANENTLY DERAIL CHELSEA’S TOP-FOUR HOPES
Champions League race: Read why Aston Villa vs Chelsea is a "must-win," the latest on Pedro Neto’s ban, and Emery’s injury news.
Unai Emery’s team wants to put some real distance between themselves and Chelsea in the Champions League race. Villa are hoping for a big win at home, especially since Chelsea haven’t exactly looked sharp lately; they’re trying to snap a three-game winless streak.
Villa sit fourth in the Premier League, level on points with Manchester United but just behind on goal difference. Their last match didn’t go the way they wanted. They lost 2-0 at Molineux, with Joao Gomes and Rodrigo Gomes both finding the net. They haven’t won there since December 2020, so that defeat stung – a wasted chance to get ahead of the other teams chasing a top-four spot.
Right now, Villa have only picked up one win from their last five league games. When Emery was asked if this match is a 'must-win', he kept it real: 'Our objective is to be in Europe, and we are in. Even if not in good form, we are in. And, of course, we are every day trying to recover our good form and our confidence, and tomorrow, Chelsea is our opponent, and of course, it’s a tough match.”
Villa have missed their captain, John McGinn, plus midfielders Youri Tielemans and Boubacar Kamara. Still, they’ll want to make it three straight league wins over Chelsea. If they do, they’d open up a nine-point gap and make a real statement about sticking in the top four.
Chelsea, in sixth place, also lost their last match. Arsenal beat them, and most of the damage came from set pieces plus an own goal by Piero Hincapié. Chelsea couldn’t defend corners, and discipline is still a big issue. For the ninth time this season, they finished a game with fewer than 11 players. Pedro Neto got two yellows in just three minutes.
That’s two red cards in as many games. It’s hurting their chances and points to a real problem keeping cool when it matters. Liam Rosenior didn’t sugarcoat it before this match: “I need to see an improvement in the behaviour now; it’s not just Pedro [Neto]. We’ve had bookings for needless dissent and fouls. It needs to improve. My job is to create a culture of accountability where if you make a mistake, it’s ok, but you have to hold your hand up and not do it again.”
Wesley Fofana is back from suspension, but Pedro Neto is now out. Jamie Gittens is sidelined with a hamstring problem, Estêvão’s got a thigh injury, and Marc Cucurella probably won’t be ready in time to play at Villa Park.
Villa aren’t at full strength either. They’re still without McGinn and Tielemans, and Kamara probably won’t play again this season. Andrés García has a thigh strain, and Harvey Elliot just hasn’t been able to make an impact since joining due to injuries or whatever else; it just hasn’t clicked.
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