Significant transformations have taken place within Tottenham since Liverpool’s last visit to N17, when they scored six goals and left a lasting impression on the home side.

Tottenham now boasts a new chairman and a revamped boardroom, alongside a recent addition to their trophy collection. Their head coach brings a fresh tactical approach, and the squad features several new faces. Among those expected to start against the Premier League champions this Saturday, only Pedro Porro, Djed Spence, and Archie Gray remain from the lineup that faced Liverpool a year ago.

Despite these changes, substantial progress is elusive. Spurs find themselves in 11th place in the Premier League, exactly where they stood following last year’s 6-3 defeat to Liverpool, their final game before the previous Christmas.

Yet, Thomas Frank’s position seems secure. Having been in the role for just six months, the new chief executive, Vinai Venkatesham, managing affairs after Daniel Levy, is reluctant to initiate another overhaul.

Venkatesham values patience, a lesson learned from his time at Arsenal during Mikel Arteta’s challenging early days. Tottenham has undergone numerous managerial changes since Mauricio Pochettino’s departure six years ago. Perhaps it’s time to scrutinize the team, shaped with input from various recruitment specialists over this period, with a more critical eye.

Thomas Frank’s job appears safe at Spurs as they do not want to press the panic button 

A year ago Ange Postecoglou saw his Spurs side beaten 6-3 by Liverpool. The teams meet again this weekend but are Tottenham really any better off? 

A KEEPER WITH A PENCHANT FOR MISTAKES

The heat is firmly on Guglielmo Vicario after another error-strewn display in the chastening 3-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

This, after a howler in the home defeat by Fulham and other unconvincing displays, make a case for giving Antonin Kinsky, 22 years old and signed from Slavia Prague in January, a run in the team.

Frank has resisted, perhaps unsure if Kinsky is ready. Vicario can make brilliant saves. He was outstanding in a 0-0 draw in Monaco in October but often lacks confidence under the high ball.

He is frequently targeted with crowding tactics at set-pieces and, recently, prone to poor decisions with the ball at his feet.

The problem is that he is one of the grown-ups in a young team lacking leaders and character.

Vicario is mature, intelligent and a strong voice in the dressing room. Although some pundits criticise him for trying to blame others for his own mistakes, he is usually willing to front up in public when other senior players do not.

Frank will not want to lose his leadership qualities and be aware that if he is to build trust in the dressing room, he must back senior players at difficult times.

At the same time, Spurs really could do with finding an upgrade and it should be something they are looking at in the January market.

Keeper Guglielmo Vicario is frequently targeted with crowding tactics at set-pieces

Though the Italian is capable of making brilliant saves, he is also prone to making poor decisions with the ball at his feet 

UNRELIABLE BACK FOUR

Centre backs Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven have become the best and arguably the most important figures in the team. Their aggressive and adventurous playing styles have made them popular with the fans.

Romero is the warrior, leading his team into the fight and always up for a physical contest. Van de Ven is the cavalier, dashing forward to lead the attacking charge or racing back in recovery to the delight of Spurs fans.

Van de Ven has six goals this season (only Richarlison, one ahead, has more for Spurs), Romero has three, including the late overhead kick to rescue a point at Newcastle.

They are vital, they go together well and yet they do not provide a solid, reliable base for the team. Romero can be erratic, concedes free-kicks and accrues suspensions, picking up seven yellow cards in 18 games this season. His injury record is far from spotless, either.

Van de Ven takes risks and sometimes his scintillating pace is not enough to help him get away with it. He too rides the disciplinary tightrope, with six yellows in 22 games this season.

Strong, consistent teams are built around the bedrock of centre halves and the goalkeeper. See Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Alisson at Liverpool last season or Gabriel, William Saliba and David Raya at Arsenal this season.

Perhaps at Spurs, that is the fault of those around them. Not just the keeper because none of the full backs come with great defensive instinct and Frank has failed to find his perfect balance in midfield.

Micky van de Ven takes risks and sometimes his scintillating pace is not enough to help him get away with it

Cristian Romero can be erratic, concedes free-kicks and accrues suspensions

ELUSIVE MIDFIELD BALANCE

When Declan Rice and Moses Caicedo were on the move to London rivals for £100million-plus two summers ago, Spurs were nowhere to be seen. They simply do not compete at this elite level in the transfer market for the sort of players who might solve what is arguably the biggest problem.

So they can sign Joao Palhinha on loan from Bayern Munich when those who pay more decline the opportunity, but while he is a brilliant ball-winner and fearsome physical presence in midfield, the Portugal international lacks finesse on the ball, especially in tight areas playing out at the back.

Rodrigo Bentancur has poise, vision and tactical acumen but does not have the requisite defensive strengths. See his attempts to stop Callum Hudson-Odoi’s cross for the second goal at Forest.

Pape Matar Sarr can run all day and might get a goal but is untidy in possession. Lucas Bergvall has talent and promise but is a risk deep in midfield. Meanwhile, Yves Bissouma appears to be a lost cause.

Archie Gray is the latest hope, impressive in games against Brentford and Slavia Prague when Spurs were in control, but his mistake in conjunction with Vicario at Forest is a reminder of his tender age and experience.

The midfield options are a mishmash of those who have not quite made the elite tier and those bought young in the hope they can develop and reach that tier of excellence, in the way Dele Alli and Harry Kane did.

Lucas Bergvall has talent and promise but is a risk playing deep in midfield

TOOTHLESS IN ATTACK

Frank’s search to be secure at the back has reduced the power up front. Put bluntly, those paid to score goals rarely look like doing so.

Of those who reached double figures for goals last season, Dominic Solanke (16), James Maddison (12) and Dejan Kulusevski (10) have been out injured and not started a game between them all season, Son Heung-min (11) has been sold and Brennan Johnson (18) is out of favour.

Frank has taken the biggest goal threat out of the team. Plenty of Spurs fans have been frustrated by Johnson, but he has been under-used, cast aside to make way for £55m Mohammed Kudus to play in his preferred role on the right wing.

The other big summer signing, Xavi Simons, is showing signs of settling but looks as if he can only play in the No 10 role.

For all his limitations, Richarlison has been the one to step up and shoulder the burden of goals, but the absence of an out-and-out threat has led to an over-reliance on set-pieces which nags away at Spurs fans who like to see their team playing free, with flair and imagination.

Richarlison has been the one to step up and shoulder the burden of goals, with seven this season

Xavi Simons is showing signs of settling in at Spurs but looks as if he can only play in the No 10 role

GLIMMERS OF FALSE HOPE

Solanke is on the mend and Kulusevski not too far away, but Spurs are back where they spent most of last season, praying absent stars will get well soon and ride to the rescue.

Injuries will always happen in football. There will be more, particularly for a Champions League team on a gruelling schedule. It is the reason Arsenal, City and Liverpool have spent so much to create huge squads packed with quality cover.

The academy is providing very little for the first team. Winger Mikey Moore, the brightest of the homegrown prospects, is out on loan at Rangers, where he is starting to make an impact after a tricky start to the season.

The market opens soon, and Frank promises they will be active as they seek a goalkeeper, left-sided attacker and a striker but Spurs have shown they will not compete at the very top with the biggest spenders. Nor do they regularly outwit the clever recruiters such as Brighton, Bournemouth and Brentford.

For all the hints about good intentions from the post-Levy board it will be a surprise if they can deliver a significant overhaul to the team in January, but they must try, and sporting directors Johan Lange and Fabio Paratici must earn their corn.

Tottenham Hotspur sporting director Fabio Paratici must earn his corn in January by buying intelligently in the window  

FESTIVE EXAMINATIONS

Liverpool have done Spurs some damage in recent meetings. In 16 games since the beginning of 2018-19, a season in which Liverpool beat Spurs three times including the Champions League final, the Londoners have won only twice.

One of them was the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final in January, before they were blown away 4-0 in the return fixture. 

The other was a 2-1 win featuring the Luis Diaz goal wrongly ruled offside, because the VAR wasn’t paying attention. After Liverpool, it’s a trip across London to Crystal Palace. 

These are testing times for Spurs. They will examine the character as well as the quality in the squad. They will test the suitability of Frank for the job. They will test the nerve of the board.