Tottenham have been dealt a potential injury worry after their crushing 2-1 defeat to West Ham in the London derby this afternoon.
Thomas Frank under fire after devastating West Ham loss
Spurs suffered their ninth league defeat of the campaign after a crushing 2-1 loss to relegation-threatened West Ham, with substitute Callum Wilson’s 93rd-minute winner sparking scenes of fury and despair at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The result leaves Spurs languishing in 14th, eight points adrift of the top five and facing a Tuesday Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund amid a crisis that shows no signs of abating.
The game saw the debut of new signing Conor Gallagher, who produced an industrious performance in midfield. However, there was an injury setback when Ben Davies was carried off on a stretcher early in the game.
The £35m arrival from Atlético Madrid was expected to provide a lift, but instead witnessed another dismal afternoon that epitomised Tottenham’s ongoing struggles under Thomas Frank.
West Ham arrived in north London without a Premier League win in 10 matches, but held a deserved half-time lead thanks to Crysencio Summerville’s 15th-minute opener.
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The Dane is under growing pressure after a dismal run.
The Dutch winger’s effort deflected off Micky van de Ven to wrong-foot Guglielmo Vicario, giving the visitors a lead they thoroughly merited after dominating the opening exchanges.
Spurs appeared devoid of ideas, laboured in possession and were greeted with a cacophony of boos as they trudged off at the interval.
The introduction of Yves Bissouma for his first competitive appearance under Frank injected much-needed energy into Tottenham’s midfield, helping them establish sustained pressure that eventually yielded an equaliser.
Wilson Odobert down the right laid the ball back to Pedro Porro, who whipped in a wonderful cross which Cristian Romero met with a powerful header past Areola in the 64th minute. The captain’s goal briefly shifted momentum, with Spurs pushing West Ham deeper in search of a winner.
Alphonse Areola produced an excellent diving stop to deny Xavi Simons from distance in the 89th minute as Tottenham cranked up the pressure.
Yet for all their territorial dominance, Frank’s side lacked the cutting edge required to convert possession into clear-cut chances.
Callum Wilson’s stoppage-time strike for West Ham then condemned the hosts to another awful result, with Tottenham’s South Stand calling for Frank’s dismissal.
Tottenham star Xavi Simons spotted ‘limping’ after West Ham defeat
To make matters even worse for Frank, who is under serious pressure despite Tottenham’s preference not to sack him, the Dane now has a concern about Simons.
The summer signing, according to journalist Tom Barclay, was spotted ‘limping’ in the mixed media zone after taking a heavy tackle from Hammers captain Jarrod Bowen.
Frank will be hoping his knock isn’t too serious, with Mohammed Kudus, Richarlison, Rodrigo Bentancur, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski already sidelined through injury.
Simons largely struggled to make an impact during the defeat to West Ham, with the Dutch playmaker once again proving sloppy in possession.
The ex-PSG ace did come close to scoring the winning goal late on, but the 22-year-old largely couldn’t deliver the cutting edge required in Maddison’s ongoing absence.
The £195,000-per-week star has been criticised as being too lightweight for the Premier League, but has shown flashes of quality this season in certain games.
Losing Simons to injury would still be another massive blow for Frank, and would make their search for new attackers this month all the more crucial.
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The Dane is walking on very thin ice.
