Thomas Frank's first 96 days at Tottenham put to the test as Champions League campaign looms

Thomas Frank enters the Champions League with Tottenham after 96 days in charge during which the club has shown early signs of stability under the new head coach.

Spurs have recorded three wins from four Premier League matches and conceded only once in that run, but the coming weeks will stretch Frank's squad-management skills as travel, rotation and the extra midweek fixtures that accompany European competition place new demands on the coach.

Frank's start has been marked by a series of high-profile decisions that club officials and players say have helped steady the dressing room after a turbulent summer. He has spoken carefully in public, but his selection choices and tactical plans have communicated his intentions on the pitch.

Although Frank is an inexperienced manager at European level — his spells with Brondby did not progress beyond Europa League qualifying rounds — he produced a tactical plan that unsettled Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup in August. Frank deployed a back three and targeted PSG with an aerial approach from set pieces. PSG recovered late and won on penalties, but the formation and strategy were viewed as a tactical success for the new coach.

Frank has also faced difficult personnel matters decisively. He accepted responsibility for a 1-0 home defeat to Bournemouth in the Premier League, saying after the match: "It was a bad performance and definitely didn't get better when I watched it back. I didn't help the players well enough in that game. I took the wrong decision in terms of the planning." He sanctioned the temporary exclusion of Yves Bissouma from the squad for the Super Cup final after repeated lateness, a disciplinary action that was widely reported inside the club. Bissouma remains at Tottenham but is injured and was not included in the club's Champions League squad.

One of Frank's more consequential moves has been appointing Cristian Romero as club captain. Romero, who had served as vice-captain for two seasons under Ange Postecoglou, signed a contract extension through 2029 and has taken on the leadership role quietly. Teammates describe him as a restrained presence off the pitch and a commanding figure on it.

Romero's disciplinary record has improved since his early seasons at Tottenham. He amassed 24 yellow cards and three red cards in his first two seasons and was sent off in Tottenham's previous Champions League outing for a tackle on Theo Hernandez in March 2023. Nearly two years have passed since that dismissal, and Romero acknowledged the persistence of his reputation while highlighting his commitment to defending the club. "They throw the book at me," he said. "They taught me to defend like this as a kid and I have it inside me... When I step on the pitch, I don't have friends. I don't have anything. It's just defending my shirt and my badge. It's in my blood. I've got this far because of it so why would I change?"

Romero added that he now sees an organised club with a clear plan and a coach who is unifying players around a common objective. "Everything I said is because I want there to be a structure of a club that can be at the top level, part of the big clubs," he said. "That's why I was sometimes so angry before, but today I see a very, very organised club with a clear idea and a coach who is organising things and everyone is seeing that in a short space of time we are with him and that's it. Absolutely everyone inside is looking in the same direction and that is the important thing. We hope to continue like this."

Other squad members whose roles have grown under Frank include Pape Matar Sarr and Djed Spence. Sarr, who started 22 Premier League games last season, has been used as a versatile runner both to stretch opponents and to recover defensively. Frank's tactical flexibility in midfield has allowed Sarr to perform tasks that vary with the formation, and the coach has valued the player's work rate and adaptability.

Tottenham's draw in the Champions League was described as kind by some observers, but the tournament brings a different rhythm and intensity. Frank must now balance the need to keep key players fresh with preserving the coherence and defensive solidity that have defined his early match results. The club's boardroom changes and the summer departures that marked the transition to Frank's tenure also remain part of the wider context he must manage.

For now, decisions that smoothed internal tensions and reinforced discipline are being viewed as sound. Whether those judgments are sustainable across a long and congested campaign in England and Europe will be determined in the coming weeks as Frank navigates fixtures that will test squad depth and tactical adaptability.