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UCL Champions League Drama Tottenham showed much more attacking intent against PSG than they did against Arsenal Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images Tottenham Hotspur’s supporters are desperate for Thomas Frank to offer them more entertainment, especially after a frustrating defeat against Arsenal. On Sunday, they registered an expected goals (x G) total of only 0. 07 — what they did not anticipate was a game that included eight goals and a red card. Advertisement Spurs suffered their first Champions League defeat this season, despite taking the lead twice, in a chaotic encounter with Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes. The defence that looked rock solid in August and September has become porous — they have conceded 11 goals in their past three games. In theory, the 5-3 scoreline should have angered the fanbase but Frank’s new tactical approach was the antidote they needed following the lacklustre attacking performances against Arsenal and Chelsea. “Today was much more of the identity of the team, ” Frank told TNT Sports after the game. “The aggressivity, bravery going forward, running at them. Just everything about the performance, I was pleased with that. “It will always be concerning when we concede four and five but these were two completely different games. This was more of what I want. Today we competed. Today was a team with soul and character and you need that. ” Abandoning the 5-4-1 system, Frank showed he had learned his lesson from the north London derby. They lined up in a 4-2-2-2 formation against PSG, with Randal Kolo Muani partnering Richarlison up front. Kolo Muani scored twice, his first goals since arriving on loan from PSG on the final day of the summer transfer window, and assisted Richarlison. Spurs have dropped to 16th in the Champions League table, but his performance will give the France international a huge boost of confidence after a dead leg and fractured jaw disrupted his first few months in north London. Another source of excitement and optimism was the midfield blend. Archie Gray, Pape Matar Sarr and Lucas Bergvall started together for the first time since Tottenham’s 3-0 victory over Burnley on the opening weekend of the Premier League season. Rodrigo Bentancur supported them but Frank broke up his divisive partnership with Joao Palhinha. Advertisement It was a surprising decision. Gray and Bergvall were unused substitutes in the loss to Arsenal, while Sarr only came on in the 66th minute, but it worked out perfectly in the first half. In his press conference before PSG, Frank said there were 53 duels or second-ball situations against Arsenal and Spurs lost 36 of them because they were not “aggressive enough”. Gray was combative and offered so much more, too. He snapped into tackles, chased down Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and flicked on Guglielmo Vicario’s goal kicks, leading, on a couple of occasions, to Kolo Muani and Richarlison receiving the ball in threatening positions. Gray’s experience of playing across the back four means his attacking potential has been overlooked. The England Under-21 international makes a lot of selfless off-the-ball runs. He does not always receive the pass but his movement creates space by pulling defenders out of position. The 19-year-old played a crucial part in Richarlison’s goal, overlapping Bergvall and dinking a left-footed cross towards the back post. The quality of Gray’s deliveries was an improvement on Djed Spence, who underhit a lot of his crosses. Making his first appearance since the 0-0 draw with Monaco on October 20, Gray’s game time has been limited due to a calf injury. This was his fourth start of the season but Frank wants to use him predominantly as a central midfielder. He needs more opportunities to keep developing. Gray possesses all of the attributes to be a powerful box-to-box midfielder. “The coaching staff have been absolutely brilliant with everyone, especially in improving our individual games, ” Gray said afterwards. "Last season was a tough season. It ended really well but there were a lot of tough moments, especially playing centre-back and playing all these different positions, which I am grateful for. There were loads of setbacks but they are things to learn from. ” Advertisement Bergvall, also 19, was excellent on his return from the concussion he sustained this month in a 4-0 victory over Copenhagen. The Sweden international drives the team forward and is far more inventive than Bentancur or Palhinha. He has a close relationship with Gray and their skills complement each other. "Every time we are on the pitch together we trust each other 100 per cent, " Gray said when asked about Bergvall. "Even if there is pressure on us, we know we can play to each other. We can handle that pressure. " Frank praised the pair for their “mobility, mentality and technical ball-handling”. Sarr — at 23, the third member of a youthful midfield — faded in the second half but worked hard out of possession and won the ball in some dangerous positions. Vitinha scored two exceptional goals, alongside a penalty, for PSG but a lot of Tottenham’s problems were self-inflicted. Cristian Romero played a risky pass to Sarr for PSG’s third goal and then conceded the penalty that Vitinha converted for his hat-trick. Yet, Spurs demonstrated they can cause elite teams problems. PSG, the Champions League holders, have lost only twice this season (to Marseille and Bayern Munich). Ousmane Dembele came off the bench but Achraf Hakimi was the only member of their strongest starting XI who was unavailable. Spurs scored twice from open play, including Richarlison’s header, which came at the end of an elegant passing sequence featuring an extravagant backheel from Bergvall. They recorded a higher x G (2. 0) than PSG (1. 7), showing the quality of their chances. Beauty of a team move from Spurs for this one: https: //t. co/2NLBCq UXSI pic. twitter. com/2DQXHYjfy W — Opta Analyst (@Opta Analyst) November 26, 2025 This performance should encourage Frank, providing evidence that he does not always need to be cautious. Despite the result, it felt like a small step in the right direction for Spurs. The real test is whether Frank shows this higher level of intent and attacking aggression in Saturday’s home match against Fulham. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle Jay Harris reports on Tottenham Hotspur for The Athletic. He worked for Sky Sports News for four years before he joined The Athletic in 2021 and spent three seasons covering Brentford. He covered the 2022 World Cup from Qatar and the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast. Follow Jay on Twitter @jaydmharris