Igor Tudor will only need to make a couple of changes to the starting lineup when Tottenham Hotspur face Arsenal in the North London Derby later this month. The former Juventus and Lazio boss, who has emerged as the frontrunner to succeed Thomas Frank, could even change the formation too in a desperate effort to get off on the right foot.
football.london understands that the Lilywhites are confident they will appoint an experienced interim boss ahead of the players' return from a five-day break on Monday. Spurs want to bring somebody in until the end of the season before selecting a permanent option from a wider pool of candidates in the summer.
As it stands, it remains unclear who exactly Tottenham will bring in, but Tudor looks set to fill the vacancy. The 47-year-old, who's been without a job since October 2025, will have the opportunity to stake his claim for the job.
Tudor may only have a few days on the training pitches at Hotspur Way, but he'll be eager to put his stamp on the team. So, with that being said, football.london has looked at how Tottenham could set up under new management.
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Tudor could trial new formation
Tudor largely deployed a back-three at each of his last four clubs, with a striker and two inside forwards; a 3-4-2-1. Fortunately for the Tottenham squad, it's not an entirely foreign system, having previously set up similarly on a few occasions under Frank.
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Assuming that Tudor chooses to operate a back-three, like he has done fairly recently at Juventus, Lazio, Marseille and Hellas Verona, Souza could be given his first start for the club at left wing-back. Tottenham signed the 19-year-old defender from Santos in January, and he made his debut off the bench in the 2-0 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Guglielmo Vicario will likely remain between the sticks, while Djed Spence mirrors Souza on the opposite flank. The north Londoners are, of course, short on options at centre-half, so Archie Gray, Radu Dragușin, Micky van de Ven could make up the back-three.
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Tudor enjoyed a fruitful relationship with Randal Kolo Muani at Juventus. The 27-year-old striker, who was on loan at the Italian giants from Paris Saint-Germain, scored five goals in 11 appearances across all competitions under the Croatian.
Kolo Muani often led the Juventus frontline, flanked by two inside forwards. Under Tudor at Spurs, he could, however, play a support role, with Dominic Solanke unlikely to be omitted from the starting lineup.
With Xavi Simons also unlikely to be dropped, Conor Gallagher will be left fighting Pape Matar Sarr, Yves Bissouma, and Joao Palhinha for a place in the midfield pivot.
Tudor's dream Tottenham XI vs Arsenal: Vicario; Souza, Van de Ven, Gray, Dragusin, Spence; Gallagher, Palhinha; Simons, Kolo Muani; Solanke.