Thomas Frank is under scrutiny after his defensive approach was obliterated by Arsenal in Sunday's north London derby. . It has not been the start he or the club hoped for.
Spurs couldn't contain the hosts at the Emirates Stadium despite Frank switching to a back five, a decision which raised questions of his approach since taking over. The club needed a change from 'Angeball' but has Frank gone too far the other way?
"When you push a team too much into that glass half-empty mentality and style, it can really look ugly at the end of a match," said Gary Neville. "Tottenham have got to pick themselves up pretty quickly and work on an identity they are going to stick to."
This week's Between the Lines breaks down Frank's stylistic changes and the attacking issues giving Spurs fans cause for concern.
Richarlison's extraordinary goal could not mask the bluntness of Tottenham's offensive performance against Arsenal. They did not muster a single shot in the first half. Their three shots in the second period were worth a meagre 0.07 expected goals.
It was the lowest total by any side in a Premier League game all season, beating their previous low of 0.10 xG in their defeat to Chelsea only a few weeks ago and underlining, once again, their glaring lack of creativity and goal threat.
Spurs actually rank fourth for goals scored in the Premier League this season, with 20, but only thanks to a huge overperformance.
Their expected goal total is the fourth-lowest at 11.16. Only Burnley have had fewer shots. Spurs just aren't creating enough.
So what happens if their overperformance proves unsustainable, as tends to be the case when a team is defying the data?
"The worry for Spurs fans is it's not going to be what we've seen in terms of results at the start of the season, it's actually going to get a bit worse," said Jamie Carragher on Monday.
Sunday's defeat was their fourth of the season and left them ninth in the Premier League table, but underlying performance data suggests they are fortunate not to be a lot lower.
The SportNews expected table, based on our xG formula, has Spurs 14th, only three places higher than last season's record-low finishing position under Frank's predecessor Ange Postecoglou, with an expected points total of only 12 points from 12 games.
There has been minimal improvement, in other words, despite Frank overseeing a radical change in style from Postecoglou.
Spurs are pressing much less than they were last season, registering fewer high turnovers and pressed sequences as they sit deeper.
Their numbers are also down for progressing the ball upfield, whether through fast breaks or build-up attacks, as Frank puts more emphasis on aerials and long passes. He has prioritised defence in his early months in charge but it is not an approach likely to win friends at a club famed for its attacking traditions.
Stylistically, Spurs have become more similar to Frank's former club Brentford. The Bees pressed more under Frank last season than Spurs are this term, but they profile similarly for progress upfield, fast breaks and build-up attacks.
From gung-ho under Postecoglou to overly cautious under Frank, Spurs have veered from one extreme to the other. So why is Frank finding it difficult to strike a balance?
Recruitment is one issue. Eberechi Eze gave Spurs a painful reminder of what they missed out on at the Emirates Stadium and Xavi Simons, the player they turned to after Eze slipped away from them, has so far struggled to make an impact.
The 22-year-old contributed a combined 17 goals and assists in a strong season for RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga last term but his numbers are down across the board at Spurs. He is struggling to adapt, not helped by Frank's preferences at the base of midfield.
He continues to pick Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur together. It is a pairing intended to bring physicality and defensive solidity. But there was little evidence of that against Arsenal and their shortcomings on the ball have become a major issue.
Attacking players such as Simons have underperformed, undoubtedly, but they have also been left isolated by a lack of service from central midfielders Palhinha and Bentancur, who struggle to play forward and favour sideways and backwards passes.
While Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal rank highly for ball progression from central midfield this season, Spurs are at the other end of the scale, profiling more similarly to sides like West Ham, Sunderland, Brentford and Everton.
While seemingly devoted to pairing Palhinha and Bentancur together, Frank has implemented sweeping rotation elsewhere.
Spurs have made the third-most line-up changes in the Premier League this season, with 29. It is a policy intended to keep his squad fresh as Spurs juggle domestic and European commitments but, increasingly, there is a sense that it is contributing to inconsistent performances on the pitch.
So what is the case for the defence for Frank?
First of all, he is only a few months into the job, having inherited a team that finished 17th in the Premier League last season.
Secondly, he has had to contend with serious injury problems. Spurs have lost more days to injury than any other Premier League side and their absentee lists includes vital attacking personnel.
Frank has not been able to call on either James Maddison or Dejan Kulusevski due to injuries, while striker Dominic Solanke has been limited to only 31 minutes in the Premier League.
Of their five highest scorers in all competitions last season, four, in Solanke, Maddison, Heung-Min Son and Kulusevski, have been unavailable either due to injury or, in Son's case, having left the club.
The hope for Spurs is that their form will improve once they get some of those attacking players back from injury.
But after Sunday's bruising north London derby defeat, Frank clearly has work to do to show his style can bring the club success.
What is your Premier League team's true performance level? And what does the SportNews supercomputer predict for the final standings now? We took a look last week.
