Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank believes his side can cope against “any team in the world”, despite their agonizing penalty shootout defeat to PSG on Wednesday.
The North London side surrendered a two-goal advantage in the closing minutes of the game, before losing the resulting penalty shootout to the UCL winners in the UEFA Super Cup clash at the Bluenergy Stadium in Italy.
The match represented the Danish manager first competitive game in charge since succeeding Ange Postecoglou this summer, with the team showing much improvement from last season.
“I think in one game we showed we can go up against any team in the world,” the Dane told TNT Sports. “I have no doubt we can do that and that’s the positive we’ll take from it.”
He continued: “We played a very good game. We played against one of the best teams in the world, maybe the best in the world at this moment in time.
But I think we had them exactly where we wanted them for 80-something minutes – until the goal to make it 2-1.
And then, of course, there was a shift in momentum but there were so many positives. I’m so proud of the team, the club, and the fans”, the former Brentford manager added.
“There’s so much to be happy with. It’s a flip of a coin when you go into a penalty shoot-out.”
Tottenham showed their set-piece prowess with both goals, taking the lead through Micky Van de Ven in the first half, before newly-appointed captain Cristian Romero doubled the advantage three minutes after the break.
However, the French side produced a remarkable comeback, first pulling one back through Lee Kang-In before Goncalo Ramos headed in the equalizer in the fourth minute of stoppage time to send the match into penalty shootout.
Vitinha missed for the UCL champions, while Van de Ven and Mathys Tel failed to convert their spot-kicks for Spurs, before Nuno Mendes converted the final kick as the French side secured victory.
“I think we showed that we could be adaptable and pragmatic because that’s what we needed to be against a team like PSG”, Frank stated.
“I think the way we wanted to defend – both high pressure and low defending was exceptionally good and I think the first half was top – almost perfect.
And also the set pieces were very good and very dangerous. Set pieces are key. For any team it should be a weapon in my opinion. We definitely want to focus on it because I think it’s a key area.”
Spurs are back in action on Saturday when they host Burnley in their 2025-26 English Premier League opener.
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
