Thomas Frank Defends Substitutions After Tottenham’s Draw with Manchester United

LONDON — Thomas Frank has publicly defended his substitution decisions following a wave of boos during Tottenham’s recent 2-2 draw against Manchester United on Saturday.

As Manchester United took the lead with a 32nd-minute goal from Bryan Mbeumo, Frank made the decision to replace Xavi Simons with Mathys Tel for the final eleven minutes of the match.

The crowd reacted with audible boos to Simons’ departure; however, only five minutes later, Tel skillfully maneuvered within the box and delivered a deflected shot that found the back of the net, leveling the score.

Tottenham appeared on the verge of victory when Richarlison headed in Wilson Odobert’s shot in the first minute of added time. Yet, Matthijs de Ligt’s header in the 96th minute salvaged a point for Manchester United, ensuring a dramatic finish.

Frank made a total of five substitutions during the match, including replacing Randal Kolo Muani at half-time. When asked whether the decision to bring on Tel was justified despite the negative crowd reaction, Frank stated, “Sometimes you are lucky, but of course, I would say that every single time I take a decision to sub a player, it is with one aim: to make the team win, or to get back into the game, or to manage the game out, whatever the situation might be.”

He emphasized, “One aim: to try to win the game. No doubt Mathys performed well, scoring a great goal, and had significant involvement. Overall, I believe we played a solid game, but sometimes you need a bit of freshness.”

When pressed for specifics regarding Tel’s role, Frank simply remarked, “To score a goal.”

Additionally, Frank confirmed that Kolo Muani was substituted due to a minor, unspecified issue, while Cristian Romero exited the field two minutes before the final whistle due to fatigue rather than an injury.