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New York Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Why long throws are so important to Thomas Frank, and how he may use them at Spurs
Earlier this week, Destiny Udogie uploaded a video to social media that showed his Tottenham Hotspur team-mates Yves Bissouma, Pape Matar Sarr and Pedro Porro dancing in the dressing room at the training ground. It was a funny and wholesome moment — but there was a tiny, hidden detail in the video which Udogie unintentionally revealed. Advertisement Sarr was dancing in front of a large television screen which briefly displayed the first-team squad's schedule as they prepare for the coming season. All players were due to go for a swim, it read, then head to the gym. After lunch, they would participate in a session called 'back-to-back goals possession.' But if you take a closer look at the bottom of that TV, you might make out a collection of fuzzy words which seem to read 'long throw auditions'. Naturally, Spurs fans have seized on this. After all, long throws aren't naturally associated with the game's most glamorous or successful teams. Lots of people describe the tactical approach of Tottenham's new head coach Thomas Frank as pragmatic. While he was in charge of previous club Brentford, they set up in a 3-5-2 system during their 2021-22 debut season in the Premier League, and one of their main routes of attack was goalkeeper David Raya pumping long balls towards 6ft1in (185cm) striker Ivan Toney. They were a potent threat from set pieces, too. People who have known Frank throughout his coaching career prefer to call him open-minded. He is prepared to try different ideas and adapts to the strengths and weaknesses of the players at his disposal. The best example of this is how throw-ins became a valuable weapon for him at Brentford — and he apparently wants to repeat the trick with Spurs after moving across London this summer. Part of the reason why Frank has this attitude is because Brentford have a long history of employing specialist coaches, including throw-in expert Thomas Gronnemark, sleep consultant Anna West and Bartek Sylwestrzak, who helps players to improve their ball-striking technique. Andreas Georgson spent the 2019-20 season as their set-piece coach and will now perform the same role at Spurs. Keith Andrews, who was in charge of Brentford's set-pieces last season, has even replaced Frank as their head coach. Advertisement Brentford hired all of these specialists out of necessity. When they were in the second-tier Championship, they did not have the money to go out and buy top players, so they focused on improving the talent present within their squad via any means necessary. On the opening day of that 2021-22 season, in Brentford's first game in the English top flight for 74 years, Christian Norgaard scored from a throw-in routine to seal a famous 2-0 win against Arsenal. Long throw-ins have become fashionable again in the Premier League but nobody has come close to matching the efficiency of Brentford, who were responsible for six of the 20 goals scored from them in the division last season. According to The Athletic's data model, Spurs generated 0.2 xG (expected goals) within 10 seconds of their attacking throw-ins last season — only Chelsea created less. Under Frank's predecessor Ange Postecoglou, their full-backs tended to wait for James Maddison, Lucas Bergvall or Dejan Kulusevski to offer for the ball from midfield, before playing a quick one-two and recycling possession. Keane Lewis-Potter and Michael Kayode, Brentford's starting full-backs towards the end of that 2024-25 campaign, took a lot of their throw-ins, but sometimes centre-back Ethan Pinnock, central midfielder Mathias Jensen or forward Kevin Schade stepped up. It was a strange sight to see Schade, their third-highest scorer (with 11) behind Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa, drying the ball with a towel on the touchline, but he had one of the most powerful throws in the squad. Maybe Mohammed Kudus or Mathys Tel will become a secret weapon for Tottenham with their throw-ins; this is the whole point of Frank's auditions. Brentford generated 5.9 xG from throw-ins last season, which was comfortably the highest figure in the division. Nottingham Forest were a distant second at only 1.4. By way of direct comparison, Brentford attempted 98 more throws directly into the opposition penalty area in 2024-25 than Spurs did. Do not be fooled into thinking that Porro, Udogie, Djed Spence or Archie Gray will suddenly start aimlessly hurling balls into the box. A lot of planning and creativity went into Brentford's throw-in moves. For example, in their penultimate game of last season, they caused west London rivals Fulham a lot of problems. Kayode can propel the ball powerfully across large distances and still retain accuracy. In the 21st minute against Fulham, he shaped his body to throw one into the box but shifted it at the last moment and instead found Lewis-Potter. He receives the ball just inside Fulham's half and rolls Emile Smith Rowe before clipping a pass towards Norgaard on the left wing. Brentford have changed the angle of their attack in an attempt to catch Fulham off-guard. Fulham temporarily clear the ball, but Adama Traore is dispossessed by Wissa. The visitors' defensive structure is now all over the place, with Calvin Bassey much deeper than his centre-back partner Joachim Andersen, and full-back Antonee Robinson nowhere near Mbeumo. Mbeumo strides into the box and equalises with a drilled shot low into the corner. Brentford might not have scored directly from a throw-in in this situation, but it all stems from their desire to be bold in such situations. Brentford took the lead just before half-time in the same game from another throw-in. Kayode is in charge again, and Fulham are wary of him picking out Yehor Yarmoliuk on the edge of the area. This unpredictability can create confusion among opposition defences and potentially lead to mistakes. Fulham have all their outfield players in the penalty area to Brentford's five, yet Sepp van den Berg manages to rise above everybody to flick the ball on… … and Norgaard nudges it back across the box to provide Wissa with a simple finish. No Fulham player tracked the midfielder's back-post run because they were all too worried about trying to win the initial ball. Brentford are experts when it comes to every kind of set piece. They even scored straight from kick-off in three consecutive games last season. There are charts on the walls in the canteen at their training ground which show how many chances they are creating and conceding from set pieces. (Don't be surprised if something similar is now introduced at Hotspur Way.) Advertisement After they beat his Liverpool side 3-1 in January 2023, Jurgen Klopp said Brentford 'stretch the rules'. 'If you singled out every situation, you would find five fouls,' Klopp added. 'But because it's so chaotic, nobody sees it. That's what they do, and it's really good; they react to different things. 'They play like this against us, but against other teams, they play football, and it's fantastic. You cannot defend long balls all the time. They were super-direct. That limits them in some aspects, but in this kind of game they are able to create chaos and they organised that extremely well.' As more teams became aware of their threat from set pieces, Brentford responded by coming up with new ideas and cleverly disguising their intentions. It happened in May against Fulham, and there is another example from the 3-1 defeat of Southampton last August. Here, Mbeumo and Wissa drop off to potentially receive from a Jensen throw-in. But the Denmark international takes a few steps back, signalling his intention to send it long, so his two strikers turn back and head off towards goal. At the same time, Nathan Collins and Pinnock, Brentford's centre-backs, have moved from the penalty spot to the near post. Their presence will prevent goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale from catching the ball. Jensen's delivery spins towards that front post, and Collins nips in front of the Southampton defenders to flick it on. Wissa makes an arcing run towards the back post… … and is rewarded with an incredibly easy finish. Southampton were tricked into thinking Brentford would throw the ball short, which meant they were poorly organised for Jensen's longer effort. Udogie's innocent, behind-the-scenes video from Spurs training inadvertently highlighted the biggest difference between Frank and Postecoglou. The latter largely stuck rigidly to his philosophy and dismissed the importance of set pieces, even comparing them to a rugby scrum. Frank will try anything if it helps his team gain an advantage. Additional reporting: Thom Harris
Scottish Sun
5 days ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Destiny Udogie appears to accidentally leak new Tottenham tactic with Spurs stars ‘auditioning' in pre-season
New Tottenham manager Thomas Frank is establishing a new philosophy that led him to a lot of success at Brentford BEING FRANK Destiny Udogie appears to accidentally leak new Tottenham tactic with Spurs stars 'auditioning' in pre-season Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THOMAS FRANK appears to want to add long throws to Tottenham's armoury this season. The Dane is a big believer in the benefits of set-piece specialisms having had great success in that area at previous club Brentford. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up Day 769 of Pedro Porro content [📸: Destiny Udogie via. Snapchat] — Daily Pedro Porro content (@PedroPorroCOYS) July 14, 2025 4 Thomas Frank appears to want to add long throws to Tottenham's tactics 4 A screen displaying the day's training schedule in the background issued five bullet points 4 The last of which reads 'long throw audition' for Tottenham players 4 New Tottenham boss Frank enjoyed tremendous success at Brentford with throw-ins He has already hired a coach who will have a heavy focus in that area in former Arsenal and Manchester United staff-member Andreas Georgson. And now defender Destiny Udogie seems to have let slip a particular demand for long throw-ins thanks to some footage he has posted on social media. Eagle-eyed fans noticed a screen displaying the day's training schedule in the background of the Italian's Snapchat video. Under the training section, there are five bullet points - the last of which reads 'long throw audition'. Brentford scored 14 of their 66 Premier League goals last term from set-pieces. Their specialist coach in that department was Keith Andrews, who ended up succeeding Frank as head coach after the Dane left for Spurs. Only Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest (all 17), Aston Villa (16), Brighton and Everton (both 15) netted more. The Bees were also better than any other side at shipping goals from set-pieces. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Brentford conceded just three - which was three better than the next-best Manchester City. Frank also had the West Londoners focused on making fast starts from kick-offs. Will 'hothead' Kudus fit in at Tottenham after controversial West Ham exit? | Transfers Exposed As a result, Brentford remarkably netted goals inside the first minute in three successive games in September, against Man City, Tottenham and West Ham.
The Sun
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Destiny Udogie appears to accidentally leak new Tottenham tactic with Spurs stars ‘auditioning' in pre-season
THOMAS FRANK appears to want to add long throws to Tottenham's armoury this season. The Dane is a big believer in the benefits of set-piece specialisms having had great success in that area at previous club Brentford. 4 4 4 He has already hired a coach who will have a heavy focus in that area in former Arsenal and Manchester United staff-member Andreas Georgson. And now defender Destiny Udogie seems to have let slip a particular demand for long throw-ins thanks to some footage he has posted on social media. Eagle-eyed fans noticed a screen displaying the day's training schedule in the background of the Italian's Snapchat video. Under the training section, there are five bullet points - the last of which reads 'long throw audition'. Brentford scored 14 of their 66 Premier League goals last term from set-pieces. Their specialist coach in that department was Keith Andrews, who ended up succeeding Frank as head coach after the Dane left for Spurs. Only Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest (all 17), Aston Villa (16), Brighton and Everton (both 15) netted more. The Bees were also better than any other side at shipping goals from set-pieces. Brentford conceded just three - which was three better than the next-best Manchester City. Frank also had the West Londoners focused on making fast starts from kick-offs. As a result, Brentford remarkably netted goals inside the first minute in three successive games in September, against Man City, Tottenham and West Ham.
The Irish Sun
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Inside Tottenham's wild dressing room celebrations as stars down beer, eat pizza and head to hotel to party until 3am
TOTTENHAM celebrated their Europa League final triumph by partying into the small hours of the morning. Ange Poestecoglou's troops Manchester United in Bilbao. 10 Tottenham ended their 17-year trophy drought by beating Manchester United in the Europa League final Credit: AFP 10 Ange Postecoglou's troops celebrated wildly in the dressing room Credit: Instagram 10 Crates of beer and pizza galore were delivered to the north Londoners' dressing room after the match Credit: Instagram 10 Several players took to social media to show off their winners' medals Credit: Instagram A first-half goal from football for the 2025/26 season. Europe 's secondary club trophy high into the Bilbao sky . But the partying didn't stop there, with the players wildly celebrating in the changing room. Crates of popular Spanish beer Estrella Damm were delivered to the Spurs dressing room for the players to enjoy. READ MORE ON FOOTBALL NEWS As were bottles of champagne, several of which ended up being sprayed as Son re-enacted the trophy lift. But they weren't just given booze in the aftermath of their victory, they also had a boatload of pizza sent their way. Several Spurs players gave an insight into the dressing room celebrations via their Instagram stories. Most read in Football JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 10 Destiny Udogie showed off his winners' medal on Instgram Credit: Instagram 10 Goalscorer Brennan Johnson proudly posed with skipper Son Heung-Min Credit: Instagram 10 Yves Bissouma flaunted the trophy during an Instagram Live Credit: Instagram 10 Inside raucous Tottenham dressing room, Credit: Instagram And the midfielder, who was Spurs' best player on the night, hilariously filmed himself eating some well-deserved slices during a near four-minute broadcast with the trophy. The tunes, unsurprisingly, were pumping - with Natasha Bedingfield's 'Unwritten' being blasted over the speakers. Uefa awkwardly RUN OUT of Europa League winners' medals as Son and Romero among Tottenham stars to miss out That was preceded by 'AFRO TRAP Part.3' by MHD, which was an appropriate choice from Bissouma. That's because it's more commonly called 'Champions League' due to its numerous references to Europe's elite club competition, which Spurs are back in. And the competition was firmly on the players' minds as they lined up in the dressing room as the anthem played. Goalscorer Johnson was one of several players to post from the dressing room, sharing a snap of himself and skipper Son. And he mocked the 'Spursy' dig that has been levelled at the club for the last two decades, writing: "So f***ing Spursy." Italy international Destiny Udogie also took to his story, proudly showing off his winners' medal. He wrote across his image: "All glory to God." Spurs continued their celebrations into the early hours of the morning after returning to their team hotel. 10 Yves Bissouma was the life and soul of the party on the way back to the team hotel Credit: Instagram 10 Several players and staff members partied until the small hours of the morning Credit: Instagram The bus journey back to the hotel was equally as jubilant as the dressing room, with Bissouma being the life and soul of the party. Upon arrival at the hotel, Son was seen geeing up fans who had followed them back. Several players and staff members were spotted living it up in their full kits until THREE AM THIS MORNING before deciding to hit the hay. Spurs' European triumph could be the perfect swansong for Postecoglou, who has overseen a woeful domestic season for the north Londoners. But despite having a fairytale exit on the cards, the Aussie seemingly has no intention of moving on. He told TNT Sports: "I don't feel like I've completed the job yet, we're still building. "The moment I accepted the role I had one thing in my head, and that was to win something. "More than anything else, I had that in my head and we've done that now. So I want to build on it." Tottenham ratings: Bissouma dominates Europa League final as occasion gets to Udogie BRENNAN JOHNSON was Tottenham's hero as they finally ended their 17-year trophy drought in the Europa League final. Despite being without James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski for the clash in Bilbao, Spurs came up with a massive win against Manchester United. Johnson scored the goal as he helped bundle in from a corner in a tussle with Luke Shaw to send fans into dreamland. But Spurs also owe a huge thanks to Yves Bissouma who was totally dominant in midfield. At the other end, Destiny Udogie struggled to get up to the pace of the match as he was up against Manchester United's Amad Diallo. Spurs had just three shots, only 27 per cent of the ball, and completed a mere 115 passes over 90 minutes. But it didn't matter, as United never really looked like finding a leveller to take it to extra time. SunSport's Henry Tomlinson gave his
The Irish Sun
21-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Tottenham ratings: Yves Bissouma dominates Man Utd in Europa League final as Destiny Udogie lets occasion get to him
YVES BISSOUMA put in a dominative display as Tottenham won the Europa League final. Despite being without 27 Spurs scored the only goal of the game Credit: Getty 27 Yves Bissouma put in a dominant display Credit: Getty 27 27 At the other end, Destiny Udogie struggled to get up to the pace of the match as he was up against Manchester United's SunSport's Henry Tomlinson has given his ratings of the Tottenham players... Guglielmo Vicario - 6 27 Guglielmo Vicario had some unconvinsing moments Credit: AFP 27 Despite threats from the Manchester United attackers, the Italian had very little to do in the first half despite his nervous appearance. READ MORE ON FOOTBALL Guglielmo Vicario was bailed out at times thanks to his defenders after some less than convincing keeping. He did come up clutch as he denied the Red Devils twice to preserve his side's lead. Pedro Porro - 6 27 Pedro Porro played his role in Tottenham's backline Credit: Reuters 27 Played his usual game as he tried to help in the attack when Spurs could get forward. Made an important clearance at 1-0 after Vicario spilled the ball in the box. Most read in Europa League Cristian Romero - 7 27 Cristian Romero was the captain from the start of the game Credit: AP 27 Took on the responsibility of the armband as Son Heung-Min was only named on the bench. Led the backline and made sure he was heard even when arguing with the Man United players. Spurs' defence was mostly well organised and stuck to their job and that was partly down to Romero's leadership even after he handed the armband to Son in the second half. Micky van de Ven - 8 27 Micky van de Ven made a stunning goalline clearance Credit: PA 27 Picked up a yellow card early on in the second half as he was too aggressive in an aerial duel. Used his body well at times to deal with the physicality from Rasmus Hojlund. Did make some important contribtions in the backline but did also see some of his passing miss the mark. His best moment came when he made a stunning goalline clearance to deny Man United an equaliser in the 68th minute. Destiny Udogie 89' - 4 27 Destiny Udogie let the occasion get to him Credit: Getty 27 The full-back suffered a shaky start to the match as he struggled to win the ball and was caught out of position on more than one occasion. Diallo had the better of him for much of the first hald and Udogie was lucky not to have been punished for some rash decisions. Was replaced for the final minutes by Djed Spence. Rodrigo Bentancur - 6 27 Rodrigo Bentancur struggled to make an impression Credit: Getty 27 The Argentine did not do a lot wrong but he did not make a notable impression in the match. He had a couple of forays forward but could not make an incisive pass. Yves Bissouma - 8 27 Bissouma shone for Spurs in the midfield Credit: Alamy 27 Did a lot of the hard work and often had to cover for Udogie when he had been caught out or taken on. Bissouma also showed his dribbling ability as he was often the one driving Spurs up the pitch. He continued this in the second half as he was argueably Tottenham's most important player in the final. Did pick up a yellow card for delaying the game after Diallo was fouled. Pape Matar Sarr 89' - 7 27 Paper Matar Sarr made an important contribution Credit: AFP 27 Fluffed a decent chance to get an effort on goal in the 17th minute as he could not get a decent connection. It was his dangerous cross that led to the opening goal for the North London side. Was taken off in the closing stages. Brennan Johnson 78' - 7 27 Brennan Johnson played a key role in the opening goal Credit: AFP 27 Looked lively at the start with his direct and positive play as he almost forced in the opening goal early on. He did start to fade towards the end of the first half as Spurs focused their efforts down the opposite wing. That was until his brilliant run caused Luke Shaw to put through his own net and give Tottenham the lead. Dominic Solanke - 5 27 Dominic Solanke was up against Harry Maguire in the match Credit: AFP 27 The striker was mostly marshalled out of the game in the opening 45 minutes by the Red Devils' backline. A poor touch in the 62nd minute saw Solanke throw away a brilliant chance to have a one-on-one with Onana and wrap up the game. Richarlison 66' - 5 27 Richarlison was careless with possession at times Credit: Getty 27 Got himself into some important positions in the first half but failed to take advantage as he saw a shot blocked and a through-ball go astray. Did contribute defensively as his side tried to defend thier lead but going forward he often lost possession. He picked up a yellow card before the hour mark for a blatant foul on Noussair Mazraoui. Not a surprise that he was the first man to be hulled off by Postecoglou. Subs Son Hueng-Min 66' - 6 Took the armband off Romero when he came on for the final 25 minutes of the match. Had a great chance to lead a counterattack but hogged the ball for too long and was caught by Dorgu. Kevin Danso 78' - 6 Sent on to make see out the result and earn Tottenham their firsy trophy in over 17 years. Almost got onto the end of a cross from Son to wrap up the result. Archie Gray 89' - N/A Djed Spence 89' - N/A 27 Latest betting odds, offers and predictions
