Igor Tudor endured another nightmare evening as Tottenham Hotspur interim manager, as he stood on the sidelines while Atletico Madrid destroyed the north Londoners
Embattled Tottenham Hotspur interim boss Igor Tudor appears to have been granted a temporary reprieve. Spurs have announced he will face the press at Friday’s media briefing, ahead of their daunting journey to Liverpool.
The 47-year-old Croatian hit rock bottom as his team were demolished 5-2 in the opening leg of their Champions League last-16 clash with Atletico Madrid. His bold gamble to axe keeper Guglielmo Vicario in favour of 22-year-old Antonin Kinsky spectacularly misfired inside quarter of an hour, with the youngster culpable for two of Atletico’s trio of early strikes before suffering the ignominy of being hauled off.
Few questioned the choice to withdraw the Czech stopper, yet Tudor’s failure to console the distraught Kinsky left ex-Spurs goalkeeper Joe Hart seething. With Tudor suffering the most disastrous opening spell of any Tottenham boss on record, many expected the Croatian to face the axe before the trip to Anfield.
His position looks secure for the time being, with the club confirming Tudor’s attendance at Friday’s press briefing. This development virtually ensures Tudor will occupy the dugout on the red half of Merseyside.
With four defeats from four matches, Tudor’s future will undoubtedly come under scrutiny should the north London club endure a heavy loss at Liverpool. Tottenham are treading a perilous path in the Premier League, sitting just one point clear of 18th-placed West Ham United.
The Hammers welcome Manchester City at the weekend, whilst 17th-placed Nottingham Forest take on Fulham at the City Ground. If both the Hammers and Forest emerge victorious, and Tottenham suffer defeat, Tudor’s men will plummet into the drop zone.
JOIN US ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page
There are also mounting indications that he is alienating the Tottenham squad. Football London understands numerous Spurs stars believe he has been overly authoritative and appeared disrespectful since taking charge.
A pivotal incident occurred at the Wanda Metropolitano when he decided to substitute Kinsky after merely 15 minutes.
As the goalkeeper departed the field, Tudor failed to acknowledge him, but Conor Gallagher, Joao Palhinha and Dominic Solanke, who had begun the match amongst the substitutes, pursued him down the tunnel, recognising the potentially devastating impact his torrid brief appearance might have.
The fact Tudor offered no words of comfort on the pitch was not lost on the Spurs players. During his post-match interview, he also seemed reluctant to discuss Kinsky, though he did provide modest backing for the keeper during his press conference.
Tudor said: “Unfortunately, it happened in this big game, these mistakes. He was sorry. The team is with him, me too.
“I was speaking with him. He understands the moment, he understands why he goes out. As I said, he’s a very good goalkeeper.
“We are with him, we are all together. It’s never about one player. It’s happened. It’s the Champions League again. We paid [for] this start of the game.”