Tottenham Hotspur suffered a 5-2 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League which has led to increased pressure on Igor Tudor's future
Igor Tudor’s future at Tottenham Hotspur remains increasingly uncertain after another heavy defeat, this time in the Champions League. Spurs were beaten 5-2 by Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their last-16 tie on Tuesday night, leaving themselves an uphill task heading into the reverse fixture next week.
Tudor was appointed by Tottenham last month on a caretaker basis until the end of the season, but has now lost all four games in charge, including three in the Premier League.
The 47-year-old’s future has been the subject of increased speculation over the last couple of weeks, with some reports suggesting that an exit before the end of the season is not off the table.
Tottenham’s next match will see them face Liverpool in the Premier League at the weekend, with Spurs currently in 16th place in the table and just one point above the relegation zone.
Former Tottenham star Jamie O’Hara gave a passionate explanation as to why he would not continue with Tudor as the club’s head coach following the defeat to Atletico Madrid.
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“I’m absolutely embarrassed to be a Spurs fan," O’Harta said on talkSPORT. "I'm embarrassed to be affiliated with this football club. It is nothing short of a disgrace.”
O’Hara added: “The manager needs to go, sack him at half time. It's a disgraceful performance from the players.
“The tactics, unthinkable. To set up 3-4-3 against Atletico Madrid is embarrassing. We cannot play that formation. He [Tudor] said it's about experimenting. You cannot experiment in the Champions League playing 3-4-3 and to pick [Antonin] Kinsky....
“Everyone's saying all of a sudden they’re feeling sorry for this guy… he's a professional football player. He's a professional goalie. It's his job. He can't kick the ball.
“It's their job to look through to wear the right footing. Put some studs on, you're falling over the ball. I've never seen anything like it."
With Tudor’s future still uncertain, football.london writers have put together their views on whether or not the club should make a change.
Mark Wakefield
It’s fair to say that things have not gone to plan for Tottenham since Igor Tudor was appointed by the club last month.
While a defeat to Atletico Madrid, especially the manner of the loss, will be disappointing and frustrating, the Champions League is no longer where a priority for the club.
The focus for Spurs now rests on the Premier League and retaining their top-flight status for another season. That is where Tudor will, and should, be judged.
After three defeats in the top flight, the pressure is certainly on, and another defeat to Liverpool this weekend would certainly see calls for a managerial change grow louder.
For the time being, though, Spurs should stand by their choice. If Premier League relegation becomes likely, or even probable, then that could change.
Bruna Reis
Tottenham's fortunes have taken a sharp turn for the worse since Tudor took charge. The man brought in to steady the club through to the end of the season has so far been unable to stabilise the situation.
He is still searching for his first win, and three straight Premier League defeats have left Spurs just a single point above the relegation zone. The 5-2 loss to Atletico Madrid was grim viewing, but ultimately has little relevance to their fight for Premier League survival.
Preserving their Premier League status is the priority, and that must now command their full attention. That’s far from straightforward when confidence has drained from the squad and the team looks increasingly directionless.
Even so, making another managerial change less than a month after Tudor's arrival is unlikely to provide a quick fix. A new coach would bring another new system, another reset, and even more upheaval at a time when stability is desperately needed. Spurs need something to shift, and that has to start on Sunday against Liverpool.
Patrick Austen-Hardy
There are bad decisions and then there is Igor Tudor. The supposed fire-fighter of European football has poured petrol over Tottenham's failings and they are close to crashing and burning.
The Tottenham players' response to Antonin Kinsky's substitution, after Tudor did not even acknowledge the youngster, was the sight of a team who is against their manager. There is still time for another manager to come in and jumpstart this Spurs side, so they can at least finish in front of those relegation lines.
At this point, tactical acumen is out the window. They need a loud voice, who can raise the spirits of the dressing room, put an arm around those who need it and remind the likes of Micky van de Ven how good they are. This would have sounded mad one year ago, but Harry Redknapp may just be the person to do that.
Joe Doyle
I think it's fairly obvious Igor Tudor has to go. Regardless of how good or bad you think this Tottenham squad is, there are just no positive markers since he replaced Thomas Frank as head coach.
The only trajectory under Tudor at the moment is down. If they were playing good football but not quite getting the results, that would be one thing. But they're conceding more goals and losing to teams they should at least be getting a point from.
When it comes to the Atletico Madrid debacle, dropping Guglielmo Vicario for an inexperienced replacement in Antonin Kinsky on the biggest stage was a huge risk, and it backfired spectacularly. The players' response on the night said it all.
The 'new manager bounce' after appointing a supposed firefighter of a coach has not happened, and it's clear that the current situation is not working. The board must recognise they made a huge mistake and attempt to rectify it before it's too late.
Isaac Seelochan
It's hard to see anyway back for Tudor after such a disastrous start. I can only see Spurs getting relegated with him in charge.
In fairness to him, he is nowhere near the biggest problem at Tottenham, but unfortunately, he's the easiest to fix in the short term. This has been one of the worst appointments in Premier League history.
So many others in the Spurs hierarchy should follow Tudor out the door if he goes. Ultimately, it feels like Tottenham are going to have to make a Michael Carrick at Manchester United-type appointment to stay up at this stage.