Tottenham manager Igor Tudor faces a huge challenge at his new club and saw the first signs of that in the defeat to Arsenal.
Sport Witness have covered how the Croatian has already been making some major decisions, in an attempt to bring the club back on track. He had a difficult job to do at Juventus too last season and he didn’t disappoint, taking them into the Champions League.
The Tottenham job right now is similar to where Tudor found himself at Udinese. He saved the club from relegation in 2018 and Spurs need the same.
Former Udinese player Bram Nuytinck has now spoken about Tudor’s time at the club, and spoke of a broken relationship with the manager.
Dutch defender not a fan of Tottenham manager
Currently at NEC, the defender spoke to Gianluca di Marzio about his time under Tudor.
He made it clear that the Croatian shouts a lot and the two never quite got along at Udinese. The Dutchman also revealed Tudor’s tough approach to training, something he’s started at Tottenham already.
“Even in Udine I had a difficult time. With Tudor, who coached us twice, we never really clicked. The first time, in 2018, he shouted a lot, he was harsh. I remember an argument with Seko Fofana in training. He sent him off the pitch.”
Bram Nuytunck clarified that Udinese needed a shock at that point and the Tottenham manager gave them exactly that.
“The team needed a shock. He came on with four games to go and we were in difficulty. At the time I didn’t understand it, but over time I’ve come to terms with it. In the end we saved ourselves, he left and came back the following year, in similar circumstances. Same script: tough approach and safety.”
Adding more details, the player revealed Tudor played a role in his sale from Udinese.
“He was confirmed for the following season and in the summer he told me he no longer wanted me in the team.
“I’ll tell you – on the last day of the transfer window, the management called me. ‘Bram, we sold you to Ligue 1. We’re sorry, but you’re not in the coach’s plans. Good luck .’ I didn’t want to believe it. I knew I could still help Udinese. In fact, I refused the offer and was left on the bench for months.”
Nuytinck revealed he enjoyed much more under Luca Gotti than Tudor.
“Until After ten games, Tudor was fired. Gotti arrived in his place , and something special immediately happened with him. In his first job, he relaunched me as a starter, and it was fantastic. I thank him. I stayed at Udinese for another three years thanks to him too.”
Tottenham manager takes no prisoners
It is clear that Tudor was quite open and clear about his rules and ideas at Udinese. This impacted Nuytinck’s career but the club achieved a larger goal of staying in Serie A.
That is exactly what Tottenham want right now too, considering the desperate situation. Thomas Frank appeared to have problems with specific players and Tudor will have to fix that using his own, ruthless methods.
Injuries won’t help but the new manager will have to make big decisions around selections in the next few weeks. That is likely to define the season and considering his track record as interim manager, Tudor can surely be relied upon to do the task.
At least Igor Tudor is specifically experienced at dealing with a troublesome Dutch defender during a relegation battle. That may come in handy soon.