Under fire Thomas Frank provides Richarlison update, addresses Tottenham fan unrest

Under fire Thomas Frank provides Richarlison update, addresses Tottenham fan unrest

Tottenham manager Thomas Frank has provided an update on Richarlison's injury and addressed ongoing fan unrest following their 2-1 FA Cup defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday (January 10).

Spurs hosted Unai Emery’s in-form side in the FA Cup fourth round, but despite a valiant second half performance, lost due to two first half Villa goals.

To add insult to injury, Richarlison was forced off after just 31 minutes due to an apparent hamstring issue.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Frank address the pressure on his position from the fans and gave an update on the Brazilian’s condition.

“It’s the players and the performance that’s got to get the fans rather than the players asking the fans to back them without any doubt,” Frank said. “We all know there’s only one way to have everyone happy.

“That is performing consistently and winning enough games. That’s the only way. And we could see in the second half, especially the energy, how they feed off each other, the players and the fans. It was a fantastic experience to be in the middle of it.

“Unfortunately, we couldn’t get that fantastic comeback, which sometimes kicks start a momentum. And that’s what we’re working very hard to do. But I think the fans, the way they backed the team and pushed them forward in the second half was very, very good.

“We need to perform and then they can feed off the energy. But of course, we also need them in tough times, which they are. They’re travelling in big numbers to away games and they’re backing us. So that’s a two-way.”

When asked about whether Richarlison had injured his hamstring, he responded:0“Yeah, it could look like that. I think we’ve done a lot of things right to get him where he is now. I think he’s done a lot of things right. I think it’s not only about us, it’s about every club.

“I think there’s a few injuries across the Premier League. I think it’s something for the football authorities to look into as well. We’ve played five games in 13 days, four in ten.

“That’s one of the few clubs who did that. This is our third time this season. That’s the most tricky thing with two days in between. We’re dealing with it. We’re doing everything we can to compete in it, but that’s a tough schedule.”