'I still want Frank to be given the time it takes to develop a team'

"The game is about glory. It is about doing things in style, with a flourish, about going out and beating the other lot, not waiting for them to die of boredom."

No doubt Thomas Frank will have heard this Danny Blanchflower quote more times that he'd care to count. It is a shame he wasn't motivated by it for Sunday's North London derby.

Up until now I have enjoyed Frank's pragmatism. A welcome breath of fresh air after the recklessness of Angeball – early signs this season were that Frank had improved our defensive play, and players seemed clearer in their roles.

However, our struggle to score goals and now that disastrous performance at the Emirates has me questioning: instead of providing stability and confidence in his players, is Frank's pragmatism diminishing their courage?

In his post-match interviews, Frank maintained that it didn't matter which system he used because it was his team's inability to win the duels which ultimately cost them.

I would argue that it was precisely because of Frank's approach against Arsenal that Spurs were unable to compete with confidence.

Players need to feel psychologically safe in order to be brave in the battle. Instead, the negativity of Frank's system facilitated a fearful approach from the players; they sat back and waited for Arsenal to come to them, never truly looking convinced that they would withstand the inevitable waves of attack.

Simply put, Frank got it wrong in a game that means the most to the fans. Even so, I still want him to be given the time it takes to develop a team – particularly a squad that he has inherited, rather than selected.

Like it or not, we don't need to look too far across North London to see what managers can build if given enough time.

Find more from Ali Speechly at Women Of The Lane and on Instagram