Spurs 4-0 FC Copenhagen | Every word of Thomas Frank's post-match press conference

Thomas Frank spoke to the media after our 4-0 win against FC Copenhagen in MD4 of the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night.

Here's what he had to say...

Have you seen a better goal scored by a defender in your time as a manager?

Thomas: "I definitely need to think a little bit about that, but it seems like we had Lionel Messi turned into Micky van de Ven, running down from his own goal all the way to the other end and scored a fantastic goal. I think he's our top scorer in all competitions, so he can keep going. He can keep walking past me if he's angry after a game if he delivers like this!"

What did you make of the red card?

Thomas: "I understand why it can be given. But it's a little bit - what I've talked before - that still footage, studs on leg, is what the ref sees the first thing. That's why it looks bad. There was no recklessness in this tackle from Brennan. He goes down into a sliding tackle, you can say 'why give the opportunity?' But when he goes down, there's literally no leg in front of him, so when he slides, then the player steps down, and then it looks bad after that. I think it was a little bit unfortunate, and I think it was harsh."

Did we see the attacking players gel tonight?

Thomas: "I think it was a step forward. I liked what I saw from Brennan, it was classic Brennan, running in behind. I really liked the assist from Xavi, very good assist from Xavi. So happy that it was a goal from Brennan, assist from Xavi. I liked bits from Wilson, and also of course he scored. I think Kolo looked like a handful, in many situations. He could easily have scored one or two goals maybe in the end. I think all of them have much more to come. But it was definitely a step forward."

What did you say to Xavi when he came off? He looked disappointed...

Thomas: "I don't know, I didn't say too much. Of course, everyone wants to play, and he saw the opportunity to maybe play a little bit more. It's just at that point, at 2-0, you don't really know, so I thought 'ok we do a little bit more defensive', swapping Joao, so that's why we did it."

What does Brennan Johnson need to do more to nail down a starting place in the side more regularly?

Thomas: "I think he's started now three in the last four, I think that's definite steps in the right direction. He played a good game against Everton, okay against Newcastle, just a little rotation for Chelsea, and now starting again. He's in a good place."

Did you see Jamie Carragher's comments (on Monday Night Football) on the performance against Chelsea, he said Spurs lacked courage, confidence and ability...

Thomas: "I didn't see his comments. So, not too much to say to that. The pundits are pundits. They need to say something about the games. I've been a pundit myself sometimes. Put it this way, I know it's easier to be that than stand down there. I saw a good performance today, which I'm happy with. We talk a lot about, how can you say that, bounce back mentality because in life and football there will be setbacks. Every team will experience that. It's how we react to that to come out after a bad game or a bad spell and come back to it. That's part of a good team. I'm very happy with the response the players came with today. I think we controlled the game from minute one to the end, more or less. There was, of course, a little bit about the red card and making the side that should not be a problem. Then we won a very good win in the Champions League. It's never easy. I know Copenhagen hadn't had a good start, but I just know they are, in general, very difficult to play against. I'm pretty sure we'll not see them lose 4-0 again in the Champions League."

When you took off Xavi and brought on Joao, was the master plan for Micky to score and then Cristian to charge up the pitch and get the assist?

Thomas: "No, that's the beauty of football. The players take initiative and do a lot of bits on their own. So, yeah, of course, that's fantastic to have players that do that."

What is Randal Kolo Muani offering this team now he's more settled in?

Thomas: "I think he's just taking steps in the right direction and he's getting more and more fit. I will still go as far as I don't think he's fully firing yet, but you can see he's such a handful to play against. The goal is a ball in behind where he just can't really control it, the defender and he's practically on the goalkeeper. Then he shows extreme composure to just take the ball down and a nice assist for Wilson. He's through two or three times and could have scored more. So I think he was a threat, probably also should have scored on the header."

How important was it to bounce back from Saturday?

Thomas: "I think, of course, it was important. You want your bad performance to get out of the way straight away and the quicker you can bounce back, the better. I was happy with the response."

Could this be a turning point?

Thomas: "I would say it was a step forward in terms of how we want to play. Of course, assist and goals for some of the offensive players and also good performances, also the structure was good today."

What did you make of Copenhagen's performance?

Thomas: "Of course, it doesn't always look super good if you lose 4-0. But as a coach I also know that it's never as good or as bad as you think it is, no matter what game you're in. I don't think we created a chance by chance situation in the first half. We had two chances to Kolo and then we scored. If we don't score 3-0, it can be a bit more difficult. Maybe they could have got some momentum then. I see a well-trained, structured team that isn't easy to break down."

Was it easier than you expected?

Thomas: "I definitely didn't expect us to win 4-0. I expected it to be difficult. Copenhagen is a difficult opponent in Europe, at home, even more so. It could have been tricky, but luckily it went the right way for us."

How would you react now if you were Jacob Neestrup? 

Thomas: "Jacob is a good coach and knows the game. I don't doubt two things. One he's calm. He's probably irritated because I would be the same when we lose. But he's also calm enough to keep working."

Was that a much better performance from Xavi Simons?

Thomas: "I will say two things. One, I think that was a step forward today. I'm very happy for him. I think it was a good assist and I agree with you. A little bit more sharpness for him and the other players. I think he probably had one more assist. I think he found good pockets, good spaces. I'm really pleased with that. Of course, I understand his disappointment in the moment, but it's always about the team, of course. At that stage, it's 2-0. We are still building layers in this team. I think it's obvious that we are progressing forward, but are not where we want to be. In that situation, we just take no risk and put a more defensive player in. Which afterwards, of course, looks to be an absolutely top decision - but you never know!"