Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham faced off this Wednesday at the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine for the 2025 UEFA Super Cup. The match ended with a Parisian victory (2-2, then 4-3 on penalties. After the game, Thomas Frank, the coach of the English side, spoke in a press conference.
Frank: “We played against the best team in the world right now.”
“I’m very proud of the players, the club, the supporters… We played against the best team in the world right now. I decided to play like this, with three central defenders, after our match against Bayern (0-4 on August 7). We knew we had to do something different against PSG. We weren’t far from pulling it off. They kept pushing, they brought on substitutes who put us under pressure.
“When you draw 2-2 with PSG, you’ve already ticked something positive off the list.”
Before that first goal, they didn’t have many chances. When you draw 2-2 with PSG, you’ve already checked something positive. We lost on penalties, so we’ll have to work on that (laughs). If you look at our match, I can only say ‘wow,’ what a game we played, what a superb performance.” (Quotes relayed by L’Equipe)
Frank’s arguments are partly understandable, as he is still building his team after arriving this summer to take over a side that had lost its way. Tottenham showed some promising signs, which can be encouraging moving forward. Leading 2-0 against PSG is not something every team can do—it’s one of the best squads in the world at the moment.
That said, Spurs clearly came into the match short of top form. Even though the coach had stressed beforehand that Paris wouldn’t be too far behind physically, it was clear the Parisians were naturally less sharp. In that light, conceding a comeback might feel more frustrating for him.
Still, there are positives to take away for the future of his project. And it’s also worth noting just how highly PSG is regarded today. Losing on penalties to a Paris team still lacking full match fitness is not bad at all—it’s flattering, in a way.
