Frank: Every team attaches great importance to set pieces now, and the lineup will be rotated in the League Cup

October 28th: ​​Tottenham will challenge Newcastle in the next Carabao Cup away game. Tottenham coach Frank attended the pre-match press conference.

After the victory over Everton, are there any new injuries in the team? What about Romero, Udoji and Solanke?

There are no new injuries, and the players who played yesterday are all in good condition. Solanke is gradually recovering. Romero has returned to training today, but there is no specific timetable for his return. Udoji also resumed training today. All three are making positive progress in their comebacks.

The away performance is good, but there are still problems with the home performance?

The sample size of the current games is relatively small. We hope that by the end of the year, our away and home performances will be very good. This is a team that is still coming together and in 14 games we have only had poor performances against Bournemouth, Wolves in the second half and Monaco in the second half. Overall, we are rebuilding.

Is winning trophies the main goal this season?

We play this sport because we love it. At Tottenham we will do everything we can to win. We are trying to win every competition we enter. It will certainly be difficult away from home against a strong defending League Cup champions, but we will give it our all to compete, win and advance.

The focus of your preparations is now the League Cup on Wednesday, but there is also an important North London derby in November. Arsenal has done an excellent job in setting-pieces. Could you please talk about what Tottenham have done in terms of set-pieces? Do you think the Premier League is starting to take set-pieces as seriously as they once did?

Our set-piece coach Andreas has done a great job, and the players are also outstanding. They fully understand the coaching staff's philosophy and implement it with all their strength. Set-pieces are of course very important. Previous statistics show that one-third of goals in modern football games come from set-pieces, so we must work hard on set-pieces and pay close attention to details. We need to build a team that is very good offensively and defensively at set pieces. We've done a great job at set pieces so far and I'm happy with it.

The Premier League has gone from "playing the ball out of the backcourt, advancing layer by layer, and patiently organizing attacks" to the "grenade throw-in tactics, kicking penalty corners towards the goalkeeper, and a more direct style of play" 15 to 20 years ago. Do you agree with this statement?

I don’t watch all the games, at least not all the five major leagues, but if it’s just the Premier League, I feel the same way, and the data can support this statement. There have been more set-piece goals in the Premier League this season, and many teams have also adopted grenade throw-in tactics, which shows that teams now attach great importance to set-pieces.

Every coach undoubtedly wants to win the game, but the key is to strive to seize every opportunity. The success I achieved at Brentford may not be very gorgeous and beautiful because Brentford is a small club, but now Arsenal also adopts this tactic. Liverpool two years ago was also very good at set pieces, so top clubs are also thinking: they must do this if they want to improve. I guess that's why there's such a change in style in the Premier League.

Is this tactic more "economical"?

As I said before, to win the game, you have to play every stage of the game well. For example, in the first half against Everton, we did a good job of playing the ball in the backcourt and controlling the ball in the midfield, so everything must go with the flow. Of course, set-pieces are also very important.

When Romero was injured, how did Danso perform in his place?

He deserves praise. Every coach will like him, he has a great character and personality. He's calm on the ball. In some intense confrontations, he was very capable of crossing and heading set pieces, and he was also great at clearing the ball. He did a great job.

Will Kudus appear more centrally against Everton?

Sometimes I will slightly adjust the formation, such as letting Brennan Johnson appear on the right, because he does a good job of running and crossing from the right. In this case, Kudus comes to the center and cooperates with Simmons to create some numerical advantages, which may have some good effects.

Van der Ven scored two goals in the last game. How important is he to Tottenham? Romero and Bentancur have already completed contract extensions before. Will the Dutch central defender be the next one to renew?

I am very satisfied with Van der Ven. Since he joined, he has performed very well at the club and his level has improved to a higher level. While maintaining excellent ball control, he has also enhanced his ability to score headers. Van der Ven is a threat to opponents in set-piece attacks. He has good character and leadership skills. He has a good contract with Tottenham and I think he is definitely a player for the future.

Do you want to rest Van der Ven and several other main players in Newcastle? But at the same time, the League Cup is a competition that has the hope of winning the title. So, are you in a dilemma now?

Yes, arranging troops is a challenge, and it is indeed difficult to make choices and weigh the pros and cons. The cup match determines the outcome and is full of contingencies and risks, but our desire to win will not change.

From Monaco to Everton, I rotated 4 players. Before, from Villa to Monaco, I rotated 3 players, so the rotation is certain. You must know that we now have a high-intensity game every three to four days.

In order to remain competitive, every team will adopt a rotation strategy during the long season. You cannot always use the same starting eleven. After all, players will have injuries, fatigue and poor condition. The key is to find a balance point. As a head coach, this is part of my job and the joy of it.