Michael Carrick privately tells Thomas Frank he's been wowed by three Tottenham players
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Charlie Grace
Wed 17 September 2025 6:00, UK
Michael Carrick believes that Tottenham’s biggest strength came to the fore as Tottenham beat Villarreal 1-0.
Tottenham beat Villarreal to kick off their Champions League campaign, thanks to a blunder from goalkeeper Luiz Junior.
Xavi Simons was poor for Tottenham, playing out of position with Thomas Frank’s 4-2-3-1 formation, seeing the Dutchman deployed on the left wing.
Credit: Imago
Tottenham secured a narrow victory despite a less-than-convincing second-half performance against Spanish side Villarreal.
Michael Carrick spoke about Tottenham’s midfield strength, identifying three players in particular, after the game on Amazon Prime’s coverage of the match.
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Carrick said: “Palhinha came on when they needed a bit of solidarity and then there will be games where he starts.
“It’s great, I said to Thomas before the game, it’s great to have the option to decide what game suits what players and I think it shows the strength in depth they’ve got so I think it’s a strong unit that midfield.”
Tottenham’s engine room got them over the line against Villarreal, with the performances of Pape Matar Sarr and Lucas Bergvall crucial to their win.
Sarr kept the possession ticking in his usual fashion, controlling the midfield with his outstanding technical qualities.
Pape Matar Sarr vs Villarreal69 minutes played34 touches24/31 (77%) accurate passes1 blocked shot1 shot on targetPape Sarr vs Villarreal (Fotmob)
Bergvall operated in a more advanced number 10 position, finding himself often making runs in behind off the shoulder of the defenders.
Frank will hope he can look to his midfield engine room to continue Tottenham’s good form going to start the season.