Ahead of Tottenham Hotspur\u2019s Premier League meeting with Liverpool, Thomas Frank would have been looking for a reaction from his inconsistent squad.<\/p>\n
Instead, following a dispiriting 3-0 defeat away to Nottingham Forest, the pressure on the Dane only intensified as Spurs slipped to another setback, losing 2-1 to Liverpool. That result did little to ease concerns around Frank\u2019s position, coming so soon after the heavy reverse at the City Ground.<\/p>\n
Tottenham\u2019s hopes of claiming a much-needed victory were further undermined by Xavi Simons\u2019 rash first-half red card, as the winger\u2019s difficult start to life in English football continued against an improving Liverpool side.<\/p>\n
How Xavi Simons disappointed<\/p>\n
Simons\u2019 \u00a352m arrival in North London during the summer was met with significant excitement, with expectations that the former RB Leipzig player would quickly adapt and make an immediate impact.<\/p>\n
After scoring earlier in the month against Brentford and Slavia Prague, there were signs he might be turning a corner following a challenging settling-in period. However, those hopes were dashed against Liverpool, as he lasted just 33 minutes before being sent off for a mistimed challenge on Virgil van Dijk, having failed to register a single attempt on Alisson\u2019s goal.<\/p>\n
Following the defeat, Simons issued a public apology and will now be eager to rediscover consistency upon his return, amid growing concerns that his struggles could see him labelled an expensive disappointment.<\/p>\n
He was not the only attacking signing to frustrate supporters, though, as another high-profile summer arrival endured a difficult evening against the reigning champions.<\/p>\n
Another attacking struggle for Spurs<\/p>\n
With results continuing to falter, Frank is acutely aware that sustained poor performances could put his job at further risk. Despite having time on the training ground before Tottenham\u2019s next league fixture, the display of Randal Kolo Muani against Liverpool raised fresh questions.<\/p>\n
The French forward played 80 minutes without scoring or assisting, registering four shots and missing a notable chance. He completed six of his seven passes but found himself isolated for long periods, managing just 17 touches overall.<\/p>\n
By full-time, Kolo Muani had seen less of the ball than goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, who recorded 38 touches. The contrast was stark, particularly given the striker\u2019s prominent role and salary.<\/p>\n
His evening was further overshadowed when Richarlison, introduced late on, made an immediate impact by scoring, drawing praise for his brief cameo.<\/p>\n
Ten league appearances into his Tottenham spell, Kolo Muani remains without a Premier League goal, and his ineffective showing against Liverpool only deepened the scrutiny on his contribution. As Spurs search for momentum, Frank will be hoping for a swift turnaround in fortunes, with attacking output remaining a clear area of concern.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ahead of Tottenham Hotspur\u2019s Premier League meeting with Liverpool, Thomas Frank would have been looking for a reaction from his inconsistent squad. Instead, following a dispiriting 3-0 defeat away to Nottingham Forest, the pressure on the Dane only intensified as Spurs slipped to another setback, losing 2-1 to Liverpool. That result did little to ease …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":56914,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-56913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/mixcollage-14-dec-2025-04-51-pm-6055.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56913","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=56913"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56913\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56915,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56913\/revisions\/56915"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/56914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=56913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=56913"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=56913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}