Thomas Frank hails Tottenham ‘bounce-back mentality’ in Copenhagen rout

Thomas Frank brushed off criticism by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher after Tottenham registered the biggest victory of his short tenure with a 4-0 thrashing of Copenhagen.

A goal of the season contender by Micky van de Ven helped Spurs provide boss Frank with much-needed home comforts after a difficult Saturday evening in north London against Chelsea.

Boos followed a 1-0 loss at home to Chelsea, with an unfortunate flashpoint as Van de Ven and Djed Spence ignored Frank’s instructions to applaud the fans in N17. Both apologised on Monday but later that day Carragher blasted Tottenham.

Carragher claimed Spurs’ performance against Chelsea was “like watching a League Two team against a Premier League team in the FA Cup” on Monday Night Football.

Frank witnessed Tottenham produce the perfect response 24 hours later as Brennan Johnson’s smart 19th-minute opener was followed by emphatic second-half efforts by Wilson Odobert, Van de Ven and Joao Palhinha to claim a crucial three points at home.

“I didn’t see (Carragher’s) comments, so not too much to say to that,” Frank insisted.

“They need to say something about the games. I’ve been a pundit myself sometimes. Put it this way, I know it’s easier to be that than stand down there.

“I saw a good performance today, which I’m happy with. We talk a lot about that bounce-back mentality because in life and football there will be setbacks.

“Every team will experience that and it’s how we react to that to come out after a bad game or a bad spell and come back to it. That’s part of a good team. I’m very happy with the response the players came with.”

Not even Johnson’s controversial red card in the 57th minute could sour the occasion as the Wales international was penalised for a tackle which caught the Achilles of Marcos Lopez.

The game was in the balance at that point with Spurs only two up, but Van de Ven clinched the points with a sensational solo effort.

Van de Ven received the ball on the edge of his area and burst past a number of Copenhagen players before he drilled into the bottom corner. He celebrated in front of the South Stand and his name echoed around the stadium.

Frank joked: “He can keep walking past me if he’s angry after a game!

“It seems like we had Lionel Messi turned into Micky van de Ven, roaring down from his own goal all the way to the other end and scored a fantastic goal.

“I think he’s our top scorer in all competitions, so he can keep going.”

Frank was reluctant to point to the victory over a team from his native Denmark as a turning point after a difficult spell of one win in five, but it lifts the mood ahead of Saturday’s visit of Manchester United.

He added: “It was important. You want your bad performance to get out of the way straight away and the quicker you can bounce back, the better. I was happy with the response.”