Igor Tudor, having been appointed to Tottenham Hotspur for his knack at making swift impacts, is already asserting that his past triumphs in similar situations won’t necessarily translate into success in his current role. His mission is to steer Spurs clear of relegation, a challenge he insists is unique compared to his previous tenures.
When asked how the subtle improvements he claims to have witnessed in his short time with Tottenham relate to his early achievements with Juventus and Lazio, Tudor was quick to dismiss any similarities. “It’s impossible to compare,” he retorted, ahead of the crucial match against Crystal Palace. “The issues are entirely different. At Juventus, there were 20 players. Here, you have 12. There you contend for the Champions League; here, you’re battling relegation. Player by player, the differences are significant.”
While Tudor’s observations are valid, they raise questions about the decision to bring him into English football for his first managerial role in the Premier League, following the departure of Thomas Frank. This situation is likely to heighten concerns among Tottenham supporters who fear he may not be the right fit for the club’s current plight.
Nevertheless, Tudor remains optimistic about avoiding relegation, expressing satisfaction with how his players have responded in training following their recent 1-0 loss to Fulham. After the game, he was critical of the team’s performance, pointing out deficiencies in attack, midfield, and defense.
The defeat to Fulham, which followed a loss to Arsenal in Tudor’s debut as manager, extended the club’s unfortunate streak to 10 Premier League games without a win. Their last victory came against Crystal Palace in December, and halting this slide has become urgent.
Igor Tudor is already claiming his previous firefighting successes have no bearing on the task of keeping
Defeat at Fulham after defeat against Arsenal in Tudor’s first game in charge stretched the club’s dismal run of form to 10 without a win in the Premier League. They have not won since beating Palace in December and stopping the rot is a matter of urgency.
Spurs are 16th with 29 points after 28 games. At the same stage last season, they were 13th with 34 points, and 17 points clear of the drop zone when Ange Postecoglou turned in full pursuit of the Europa League and took only four points from the last 10 Premier League games.
Four points from the remaining 10 fixtures will not cut it this time.
There is no comfort gap, and various other key indicators are down on this time last year.
Fewer wins, fewer goals. Total shots down by almost 100. Shots on target down by almost 50. Possession is down. Total passes are down by almost 100 per game.
Some numbers are up, including tackles made, duels won and aerial duels won.
There have even been more clean sheets and fewer defeats, although any faith in defensive strength has faded with 20 goals conceded in the last 10 games.
‘Everyone understands the situation,’ said Tudor, whose plan to add trusted assistant Ivan Javorcic to his coaching staff is being held up as they wait for a work permit. ‘Tottenham has always been like a club with big pressure. You need to be ready to accept this and stand up. Not stand behind. Take responsibility and have courage to confront these things.’
Tudor also tried to play down his hardman image.
Spurs are 16th with 29 points after 28 games. At the same stage last season, they were 13th with 34 points
‘That’s not true,’ said the 47-year-old Croatian. ‘Without hugging, without a connection with the player you cannot do anything. There’s not a coach in the world who comes only with the stick.
‘There is a relationship. There is honesty. There is a right way to do it. I’m not coming here to shout at players or to scream at them.’
Palace have won two of their last four in the Premier League but have endured a crisis of their own since last meeting with Spurs, with Oliver Glasner revealing plans to leave and clashing with supporters after a stressful transfer window in which they sold captain Marc Guehi to Manchester City and almost sold Jean-Philippe Mateta to Milan and signed three players including Brennan Johnson from Spurs.
Johnson became the symbol of last season for Spurs, with 18 goals including the winner in the Europa League final and accepted an offer of £35million from Palace because he had lost his place to Mohamed Kudus and was not part of Frank’s long-term vision.
Days later, Kudus suffered a thigh injury, the first of five serious injuries in five different games which sent Spurs into a tailspin and eventually cost Frank his job.
Johnson, meanwhile, has struggled for form at Palace where he has not scored in his first dozen appearances. He has not scored in the Premier League since August. He couldn’t, could he?
It is a fascinating subtext to another London derby in N17, but all that really matters for Spurs and Tudor is that they find a win, stop the rot, change the momentum.
