Luton Town 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur Match Report, Thomas Frank’s creativity problem

Saturday’s double-header ended in two Tottenham ties as Thomas Frank’s men played out a goalless draw at Kenilworth Road.

871 days later, Tottenham Hotspur have finally been involved in a match that ended 0-0. To be fair, most Spurs fans may have forgotten what a boring game of football even looked like. After all, Ange Postecoglou didn’t oversee a single goalless draw during his time at the club. So yes, this is a bit awkward.

To put it in the nicest way possible, it was a dull affair. But Thomas Frank won’t be losing sleep. Nearly every player got some minutes, a range of formations and setups were trialled, and there were no injuries to report – that, after all, is what pre-season is for.

It was Frank’s third game in charge of Spurs, and for the third time running, he named a starting XI only to pull someone out minutes before kick-off. Mind games? Overthinking? Only Thomas Frank knows the answer to that.

As promised, he split the squads between the two games fairly, with a strong side lining up at Kenilworth Road. However, there was no sign of Dominic Solanke in the squad, and the reason behind his absence should become clear soon.

First half: Luton 0-0 Tottenham

Things actually began brightly. Or at least, as expected with a front three of Mohammed Kudus, Mathys Tel, and Brennan Johnson. Tel led the line, with Mikey Moore tested as the number 10.

Spurs had their best chance early on when Tel darted down the right and played the ball into the box for Kudus. The delivery drew Josh Keeley off his line, leaving Kudus with a near-open goal, but the Ghanaian’s effort was blocked by a recovering Luton defender.

Luton, to their credit, transitioned quickly and put together a slick move that nearly ended in a goal, but the linesman’s flag spared Spurs.

The game slowed down drastically after the 10 -15-minute mark or so. What followed was a mix of aimless running, back passes, hopeful crosses, and wasted set-pieces. Neither side could create clear-cut chances.

George Saville had attempted one on target from just outside the area, which flashed wide. Luton’s best chance came just before half-time when a loose pass from Djed Spence allowed Alli to strike across goal. His effort deflected off Kevin Danso and bounced across the goal line, but Spurs escaped.

The whistle blew soon after, and the first half ended with little to shout about.

Second half: Luton 0-0 Tottenham

Antonin Kinsky replaced Guglielmo Vicario at the break, with the Italian handing the armband to Micky van de Ven.

Kinsky was involved straight away. He made two excellent saves in quick succession: first, stopping a powerful volley from Wells, and then keeping out a shot from Alli.

But overall, the second half carried the same lull as the first. Players began to tire, the game lost structure, and it wasn’t until around the 75th minute that the substitutes were ready to come on, and the Tottenham players on the pitch went all-out attack one last time before they all left.

Kudus was again at the heart of it, holding up play before slipping in a low cross to Johnson. The Welshman almost bundled it home, but a deflection off a Luton defender turned it goalwards. Fortunately for the hosts, Keeley got hold of it.

Immediately after, the changes were made. Only Jamie Donley stayed on as all eyes turned to Yang Min-hyeok, making his long-awaited debut since joining the club last winter.

The fresh legs made a visible difference. Yang and Olusesi, especially, brought energy, aggression, and showed real intent to win the ball back and create chances.

Their best moment came with just two minutes left on the clock. Olusesi pressed high to win possession in a dangerous area and played in Will Lankshear, who sliced his effort wide.

Unfortunately, 15 minutes simply wasn’t enough time for the youngsters to make an impact. And with that, for the first time in over two years, Spurs fans sat through a goalless Tottenham game.

What’s next for Spurs?

So ends a curious double-header Saturday. Two games, two draws, and two somewhat different performances. Safe to say, the early kick-off offered more entertainment.

With all the League One opposition now ticked off the list, Spurs next head off on their pre-season tour of Asia, starting with a trip to Hong Kong.

And yes, fans might not care much for pre-season results, but this one’s a bit different. The first-ever overseas North London Derby is on the cards.

COYS!

The post Luton Town 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur Match Report, Thomas Frank’s creativity problem appeared first on Spurs Web.