Following Tottenham Hotspur’s 4-1 defeat to Arsenal in the North London Derby at the Emirates Stadium, Thomas Frank, the Tottenham manager, held a post-match press conference where he addressed the loss, his tactical decisions, and apologised to fans.
The match saw Arsenal’s Eberechi Eze score a hat-trick, with Leandro Trossard also on the scoresheet for the Gunners, while Richarlison netted a late consolation for Spurs.
Below is a full transcript of key exchanges from the press conference, which we have also included.
Opening Remarks from Frank: “First of all, I want to apologize to the fans. Today was extremely painful, and we didn’t show up the way we should have. Arsenal were outstanding, but we let ourselves and our supporters down. I take full responsibility for the performance and the result. It’s not acceptable, and we will work hard to improve.”
On Whether His Tactics Were Wrong (Starting with a Back Three, switching to 4-2-3-1 at Half-Time):
“Look, I always take full responsibility. We went into the game with a plan to make it difficult for Arsenal—they’re a top team, pressing high and full of quality. The back three was meant to give us stability, but it didn’t work. We had no shots in the first half; our xG was the lowest in the league this season at 0.07. The change at half-time was to be more positive, but conceding 35 seconds in… that’s on us. Hindsight is easy, but yes, I got it wrong today. We need to learn from this fast.”
On Arsenal’s Performance and Eberechi Eze (Who Nearly Joined Tottenham in the Summer):
“Arsenal deserved every bit of it. They’re clinical, organised, and have players like Eze who can change a game. [When asked if he thought he had Eze at Spurs] pauses and smiles wryly. Yeah, we were close, but Arsenal got him. He’s a special talent—hat-trick today, and it hurts even more because of that.
Credit to Mikel [Arteta]; his team is firing on all cylinders.”
On the Lack of Fight from Tottenham (Echoing Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario’s Comments):
“Guglielmo is right—we showed no fight, no intensity. That’s not the Tottenham way, and it’s not what I brought here from Brentford. We looked passive, and that’s unacceptable in a derby. It’s something we’re working very hard on to improve. It didn’t look good today or against Chelsea. We need that fire, that determination. The fans deserve better.”
On Moving Forward and Pressure on Him as Manager:
“This is a setback, but it’s early in my time here. At Brentford, we had tough days too, but we bounced back with unity. We’ll review everything—tactics, mindset, everything. The squad has quality; we just didn’t use it today. As for the fans being divided? I get it. I need to win them over with results and style. Entertaining football is what Tottenham is about, and we’ll get there.”
Frank’s comments highlight his candid style, a trait admired from his Brentford days, where he often praised Arsenal publicly. However, ahead of the derby, he had shifted to a more competitive tone, calling Arsenal “the benchmark” but emphasising Tottenham’s need to “cause problems.”
This loss has intensified scrutiny on his pragmatic approach, with pundits like Jamie Carragher questioning if he can adapt to Tottenham’s expectations for attacking play.
For context, Arsenal’s victory extends their strong form, while Tottenham sit mid-table, adding pressure on Frank in his first season at the club.
