Thomas Frank 'defiant' as Tottenham form slips ahead of Liverpool test

The Spurs manager, stressed there is "no quick fix" to their mounting struggles and insisting time is needed to steady the club's season. Spurs now sit 11th in the table with just 22 points from 16 matches, their lowest points tally at this stage since the 2008-09 campaign.

Tottenham were outplayed at the City Ground on Sunday, with Callum Hudson-Odoi scoring twice and Ibrahim Sangare adding a third in the 79th minute, leaving Frank's team with plenty to ponder before a daunting home clash with Liverpool next Saturday.

"It's hugely annoying, burning inside," Frank said after the match, acknowledging his disappointment with Spurs' display. "I had such a good feeling going into this game, then we deliver a performance which is not good enough. It's a bad performance overall."

Tottenham had shown encouraging signs recently, recording wins over Brentford and Slavia Prague and drawing at Newcastle, but Frank admitted the Forest defeat was a step back in their development as a team. "There's a lot of adjustment where we came off the back of three good performances, this was a bad one," he said. "We need to adjust, get it right and bounce back."

Asked if he expected to be given more time to implement his ideas, Frank said: "I can't see why not. I think it's pretty evident that if no one gets the time, no one can turn this around. This is not a quick fix."

The Spurs boss also highlighted Spurs' inconsistency, conceding that poor passing and a lack of intensity had contributed to the defeat. "We didn't win enough duels and we lost the ball too often. That doesn't help win football matches," he added.

As pressure intensifies on Frank's leadership, Spurs now face a crucial week of training before hosting Liverpool on 20 December, with supporters hoping for signs that the Danish coach's long-term vision can begin to deliver more consistent results.