The Tottenham players have been told what to expect during pre-season under Thomas Frank by someone who played under the Dane, and it turns out that the 51-year-old prioritises very different things from his predecessors.
The Spurs players are no strangers to a gruelling pre-season, with Antonio Conte infamously making players collapse to the ground in 30-degree heat in Korea back in 2022.
While pre-season might not have been as intense under Ange Postecoglou, the Australian’s system demanded that the players work harder than anyone else both on and off the ball.
Some even felt the demands of Postecoglou’s system were to blame for Tottenham’s injury crisis over the last two seasons, and it has now been revealed that Frank’s approach is entirely different.
What Tottenham players can expect in pre-season under Thomas Frank
Ex-West Bromwich Albion defender Martin Albrechtsen, who played for Frank at Brondby, has now revealed that pre-season training under his compatriot was far less demanding than what he experienced in the Premier League.
He explained that the 51-year-old likes to do a lot of work on the ball and always looks at the larger picture to ensure that the chances of injuries are minimised.
Albrechtsen told The Mirror: “I’ve had a taste of both worlds, the totally crazy pre-season regimes and also managers that think differently. With Thomas, his coaches and physios organise the sessions but he’s mindful of the bigger picture, it’s not just about running 20km, there was a clear plan and he knew how to schedule things.
“He thought about recovery and that if we’re training tomorrow, we don’t want injuries. His mindset was not about short-term gain and smashing people to their absolute limit, it was more about improving our conditioning and sharpness.
“Life under Gary Megson was a bit special. We had this coach that would make us run in this park in Sutton Coldfield, it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my career. I lost around 5kg, I wasn’t very big back then anyway so it was a real culture shock.
“I don’t know any player that would enjoy running in a forest for two hours non-stop, they thought we were in good shape but we were not ready to play football because our bodies were so fatigued. Thomas likes to involve the ball a lot, there were still interval runs but you were getting a feel for the ball which goes a long way.”
Frank accused of being ‘too soft’ in his approach
Albrechtsen also revealed that compared to the other managers he had in his career, he and his Brondby teammates felt that Frank was soft and lacked a tough mentality.
However, the 45-year-old acknowledged that the Tottenham boss would have evolved as a person and a coach in his career subsequently.
He added about Frank’s management: “I think he was maybe just a bit too soft. We were a group of older players that were used to a harder, tougher mentality so we were missing that direct, rougher managerial approach at times. That said, it was around 10 years ago now and I’d expect he’s changed given his success.”
