Spurs 2 - 0 Dortmund: What Does It Mean For Tottenham?

So far, it has been an abysmal season for Tottenham Hotspur. After the highs of winning a European trophy, the new regime led by Thomas Frank is proving increasingly concerning with each passing week. Spurs fans have been crying out for the manager to be sacked for several weeks, with the North London side unceremoniously dumped out of both major domestic cups and languishing in the league. Particularly in the face of fierce Premier League rivals and neighbours Arsenal edging closer to elusive success, many Spurs fans are at their wits' end with the current state of their club, and rightfully so.

After another utterly anaemic home loss against West Ham, the prospect of facing tough European competition in the form of Borussia Dortmund was daunting, to say the least. With Spurs' home form so poor, most fans and pundits predicted a loss, and a heavy one at that. Thomas Frank's job was reported to be hanging in the balance, with many of the Spurs faithful seeing his impending sacking as the silver lining to one of the bleakest periods in recent times.

In true Tottenham fashion, Spurs powered to a convincing 2-0 victory over Dortmund against the odds. Thanks to goals from captain Christian Romero and returning striker Dominic Solanke (as well as a red card reducing Dortmund to 10 men), Spurs forged ahead of the German side with relative ease in a dominant first-half display. While the second half was relatively devoid of action, the European night ended with an unexpected Champions League win for Tottenham Hotspur.

A Big Champions League Win Only Papered Over The Cracks

Following the somewhat surprising result, it seems that Thomas Frank will remain at the helm for the time being. The win has earned him very little grace with fans, however, who still remarked that the team's second-half performance was considerably less exciting than it should have been. It was a game with flashes of brilliance, occasionally offering glimpses of the dominant attacking football Spurs fans hope to see from their side, as well as a competitive senior debut for academy talent Jun'ai Byfield. However, even on the back of a big European win, there are still major concerns regarding the current state of Spurs.

Seeing Spurs once again play with a fluid, attacking confidence was a balm for the frayed nerves of fans, but that alone isn't enough to repair the rift between loyal supporters and the club. Tottenham has been a team in shambles both on and off the pitch for some time, and those moments of excellence seem little more than glimpses of a storied past and perhaps a hopeful but far-off future. A talented youth player making his senior debut was again encouraging, although the decision was clearly forced by an utter lack of squad depth, an ever-growing first-team injury list, and perhaps even Thomas Frank's last-ditch attempts to save his job.

It now seems plausible that Spurs will progress past the league phase of the Champions League, as baffling as that may seem to many. However, no matter how impressive the team was in moments against Dortmund, the cracks are still very much evident. Whether Thomas Frank will be able to turn things around is unclear, but it seems to many that he's simply not the man for the job. And while the result against Dortmund is undeniably encouraging, with impressive performances from the likes of Wilson Odobert and Djed Spence, a single win simply won't erase the months of disappointment endured by Spurs fans.