Thomas Frank admits one thing Arsenal did against Spurs made him ‘a little bit emotional’

Add as preferred source on Google

Thomas Frank reacted to Tottenham’s win over Arsenal in the first overseas North London Derby.

Spurs beat Arsenal 1-0 in a lacklustre game from the point of view of Mikel Arteta’s side. 

Despite it being a pre-season friendly, a competitive edge was traceable, as expected from a North London Derby.

It was a memorable occasion for Spurs, who have struggled to beat Arsenal competitively for a long while, but one thing about the fixture was difficult for Frank. 

• READ MORE: Arsenal have come up with a new corner tactic in pre-season, it’s completely different

Thomas Frank reacts to Christian Norgaard playing for Arsenal 

Frank is an admirer of Arsenal, which fans have used against the former Brentford boss since he made the move to N17. 

During his post-match press conference, the Danish coach admitted that one aspect of the game had him feeling ‘emotional’.

When asked how it felt to play against Christian Norgaard for the first time, the Spurs manager struggled to hide his emotion. 

“It’s a little bit emotional, I’ve known him since he was 15,” Frank said.

“He’s 31 now, and I’ve coached him 12 of those years. This is the first time I’ve played against him.”

Frank managed Norgaard at Brondby before coaching him at Brentford, with the North London Derby in Hong Kong being the first time he’d seen the midfielder as an opponent.

“It was a bit strange to see him in another team,” Frank admitted.

“So happy he got this opportunity late in his career.”

Arsenal fans were impressed with Norgaard against Spurs, as the new arrival showed exactly why Arteta decided to poach him from the Bees ahead of the 2025/26 campaign. 

Norgaard was impressive against Tottenham

In a rather deflating performance from an Arsenal point of view, Norgaard was one of Arteta’s better performers.

The 31-year-old marshalled the midfield, starting ahead of Martin Zubimendi in the holding role.

As seen through his numbers, Norgaard was tidy in his approach while maintaining a combative edge, winning four duels.

The Norway international’s distribution was also commendable, completing all of his attempted long balls and misplacing only one pass.

It was a promising performance from Norgaard, in what was a memorable occasion for both him and Frank.