Frank: I m happy that Spence was selected for England, he s an excellent role model

Hupu, August 30th, on August 30th, Tottenham will play against Bournemouth away in the second round of the Premier League. Before the game, Tottenham coach Thomas Frank attended the press conference.

About Jed Spence, there are also the latest news for the team.

New news is that our team has a new member of the England national team, right? How great this is! He must be praised by Jade, he deserves this honor. He... He is 24 years old and is about to be 25. It is not easy to be selected for the national team. It is not easy to go along the way - it is not "uneasy", it is just a very special journey. I don't think many people could have expected him to be today. He performed well at the end of last season and played the top pre-season. He performed very well in three games against Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Burnley and paid a lot for the team. I'm really happy for him, and Tottenham fans must be particularly happy today.

You mentioned before that Jed Spence's days at Tottenham were ups and downs. I also know Thomas Tuchel said that he performed great at the end of the season and started well this season. I want to understand his mentality - from this perspective, how do you think he has survived those bad seasons?

I think Jade is an excellent role model for many players, not only Tottenham players, but also from other teams. His experience proves that as long as you are resilient, able to survive the difficult moments of your football career and even life, maintain self-discipline, persist in training, and believe in your own abilities, and do not give up even in a "rainy day" (referring to a low period), then everything is possible. This must be greatly affirmed by him, and his story is worthy of appreciation and happiness for all of us.

I would like to ask another question about Spence: How did you know that he was selected for the national team? Have you ever talked to him about this?

I know that the list was announced at 12 noon. It’s a coincidence that we started training at 12 o’clock, so someone told everyone immediately. As far as I know, he received the (selected) text message earlier today. After training, of course, I congratulated him in front of all the players, and everyone applauded and cheered him. After that, I chatted with him alone and told him "this is what you deserve", hoping that he can enjoy this experience, and at the same time stay in shape, focus on tomorrow's game, and then go to the England national team to report and enjoy it. I also asked him if he wanted to call his family, and he said he was about to call.

Have you "fallen in love with" Tottenham early? I just want to confirm this statement.

Well, let's put it this way, I'm having a great time here. Actually, I have known for a long time that Tottenham is a great club, but only after really getting in touch with the players, staff and fans can I have a better understanding. So yes, I'm very happy.

A month ago you said that one thing is certain-the team you coach will always lose. But so far, you haven't lost a single game and you've won every game you coach. Does this mean that your coaching level is higher than you expected? Or, the team's strength is stronger than you expected when you first took over?

I think both are – the team is great, and I am great. It's very simple and clear to say this, right? Not kidding anymore. We have a clear plan to beat Bournemouth again tomorrow, and I firmly believe we have that ability. But our opponent is a very good team, and Ilaura and his coaching staff did a great job. They have injured four people on the back line this season, but they can still play excellent games. I watched their game against Liverpool live and watched it again in the past two days - they performed very well and had a full chance to score points from the defending champions. Their playing style is very distinctive. It is not only straightforward, but also can penetrate the defense line and penetrate the back through passes and cuts. Therefore, it is difficult to defend them and it is not easy to press them - because they either play long passes and look behind them, or attack against their opponents' weak links, which is the case for any team. So tomorrow's opponents are really hard to deal with, and they also played very well last season. We must have great respect for them, especially on the defensive end, and we must do it well in this regard. I believe we can certainly create offensive opportunities, but if we don’t run actively, defend seriously, and show the respect we deserve, we will encounter big trouble tomorrow. So as long as we can show our previous vitality and positive attitude, I am very confident that I can win the game, but I also know that this will be a difficult battle.

Some coaches seem to be very obsessed with a tactical system and don’t care if their grades collapse because of this. But you will not only change the system in different games, but you will even adjust in the same game. To what extent is this your coaching philosophy? And now it seems that the players can adapt easily. Is this difficult for players?

I think the key is that we have clear principles on "how to play". For example, when pressing at high positions, I emphasize "people-focusing on people" very much; for example, when defending at low positions, there will be some principles of regional defense when defending in the penalty area. The same is true on the offensive end, we have clear offensive principles. On this basis, we can fine-tune the tactical system by adjusting the tactical system, or we can allow players to adjust in different positions and roles under the same system. I am very open and clear about this, and with the support of the coaching staff, we hope to find the most suitable solution.