Thomas Frank says Tottenham Hotspur form ‘completely natural’ after 17th-placed finish in Premier League but needs to be ‘so much better’

A five-match winless streak heading into the festive period had cranked up the pressure on Frank, but a comfortable 2-0 victory over Brentford in their latest outing offered the Dane green shoots of progress.

“I think I will say it like this: there is space for improvements,” Frank told TNT Sports. “But I think we’ve found an okay, solid foundation, but I would like to add so much more.

“But I actually think it is completely natural with a squad and a team that finished 17th last year, and of course won the Europa League, fantastic. Now we want to finish much higher, plus we want to compete in the Champions League, which is at a higher level.

“So to be able to balance everything, we still maybe don’t have all the players available that we’d like to. So that’s a balancing act. But that’s no complaint; that’s just the way it is.

“I like the signs of improvement, but I know we need to be so much better.”

Slavia are yet to pick up a victory in Europe’s premier competition this season, but the Czech champions have held Bodo/Glimt, Atalanta and Athletic Club to draws.

So Frank is unlikely to take the visitors to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium lightly, even after a comprehensive win over Brentford last time out.

“I’ve got this 24-hour rule. So after wins, for example after Brentford, I’m allowing myself the joy and the happiness of a win, because you need to do that because it’s so relentless,” said Frank.

“But then you can’t be too happy or too satisfied for too long because you need to be on it for the next game. The other way around, if you lose a game, you can’t be disappointed too long. You need to move on because the next game is ahead of you.

“So that’s how I try to deal with it. And also, never be too high or too low. It’s normally never as bad or as good as you think.”

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Kudus ‘not surprised at all’ by Simons display

Xavi Simons was on the scoresheet for the first time in Tottenham white at the weekend, sealing his side’s 2-0 win in the 43rd minute.

And fellow new recruit Mohammed Kudus was “not surprised at all” by the Dutchman’s display, calling it “just the beginning” for the 22-year-old.

“Every player is different. Some need more time, some don’t,” said Kudus. “But Xavi has been training well, good mentality, giving his all. Even though he’s not been starting in the past games, he’s still sharp and ready for his opportunity.

“But how he played on Saturday, I’m not surprised at all, because his mentality and his focus, his energy is going to help the team a lot and definitely it’s just the beginning.

“I know he has a lot more to do, to show. But I’m really, really happy that he was able to get his first goal and perform like that on Saturday.

“Hopefully we can build on that and all the new players, the better we can do to help each other settle in, the more we can connect with each other. I and him and all the other team-mates will help a lot because he has a lot more to offer to us.”