After Antonin Kinsky's horrific performance against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, the Tottenham players' reactions to Igor Tudor spoke volumes
Igor Tudor may have snubbed Antonin Kinsky but Cristian Romero and the Tottenham Hotspur players rallied behind the stricken goalkeeper. Things could not have gone worse for Spurs' No. 2 shot-stopper, who was given the nod to face Atletico Madrid ahead of Guglielmo Vicario.
Kinsky, 22, conceded three goals in a disastrous 14-minute period, of which two of those were of his own making. Tudor completed the Czech's embarrassment when he substituted him in the 15th minute and brought on Guglielmo Vicario, who was dropped in the Spanish capital, while Spurs were 3-0 down.
But when his evening at the Wanda Metropolitano looked like it could not get any worse, Tudor coldly snubbed the youngster as he trudged off the pitch. However, while the Tottenham manager did not even acknowledge him, the same could not be said of the Spurs players.
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Before Kinsky left the pitch, Spurs captain Romero gave him a hug, before defender Kevin Danso did the same thing while offering some words of encouragement. When Kinsky stormed down the tunnel, on the verge of tears, Tottenham substitutes Joao Palhinha, Conor Gallagher and Dominic Solanke followed him along with Dean Brill, a Spurs member of staff.
Their empathetic reactions and determination to ensure Kinsky did not feel alone was a stark contrast to Tudor, who barely looked at the Czech star as he walked off the pitch. The aforementioned Spurs stars did not appear to be the only ones playing in black to have noticed Tudor's cold reaction.
Djed Spence appeared to make a point to the Croatian when he was substituted. Initially, the England international walked past Tudor without acknowledging the interim boss.
However, the ex-Middlesbrough defender then stopped in his tracks, u-turned, walked behind Tudor and then tapped him on the shoulder, to acknowledge him, before heading to the bench. It's possible Spence was making a point to the North Londoners' boss about his lack of acknowledgement towards Kinsky.
The Tottenham players would have surely seen Tudor's lack of empathy as Kinsky left the field, close to tears. In his pre-match interview, when asked about his decision to deploy Kinsky ahead of Vicario, Tudor's response was vague and not exactly complimentary to the 22-year-old.
There was no mention of any good performances from Kinsky in training or any other explanation as to why he was given the nod ahead of Vicario. Instead, Tudor said: "I chose today what I think is best for team in this moment. Today, there are five changes, but the game is long. There is space for everyone.”
The biggest positive for Tottenham is the damage was only confined to 5-2. Pedro Porro and Dominic Solanke's goals at least mean the La Liga giants are within some sort of range ahead of the second leg next week.
Before they can think about that clash, Tottenham face Liverpool this weekend, in what looks like an ominous clash for Tudor, given how close Spurs are to the relegation zone.