Igor Tudor might be managing in the Premier League for the first time in his career, but adapting to life at Tottenham could be far easier with a few familiar faces he has previously worked with.
One of Igor Tudor’s aims as Tottenham Hotspur manager will be to infuse some much-needed belief into a Tottenham side devoid of confidence.
This is not entirely new to the Croatian, who has had to do similar during his spells at Juventus, Lazio and Udinese in recent years.
Spurs are in a relegation scrap, and there is an argument to be made that they are better off than where they are in the league table, and it is Tudor’s job to help pull them out of this mess in the final stretch of the season.
Tottenham players Igor Tudor previously worked with
The new Tottenham manager has a few familiar faces he can turn to as he has come in with his own coaching staff, as they aim to turn things around.
But it is not just members of his backroom staff that represent familiar faces, with Tudor having already worked with four current Tottenham players at different stages of his managerial career.
During his time at Juventus, when he was assistant head coach to Andrea Pirlo, Tudor had the opportunity to work with both Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski, who are currently out injured.
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He also worked with Radu Dragusin, who was promoted from the club’s U23 setup to train with the senior side and went on to make a handful of first-team appearances across domestic and European competitions that season.
Cristian Romero could also be counted, with the defender briefly around the Juventus setup during the same period before departing back on loan to Genoa.
Tudor obviously also worked with Randal Kolo Muani during his stint as Juventus manager, and the on-loan Spurs striker hit some good form under the Croat.
Spurs injury blows limit Igor Tudor reunion
For his first match in charge against Arsenal, Igor Tudor will not be able to call on three of these familiar faces as injuries have both Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski sidelined, while Cristian Romero is suspended.
Radu Dragusin, however, is available for selection against the Gunners and could well be a part of Tudor’s back three should the 47-year-old line up in his preferred 3-4-2-1 formation.
But even if these players cannot help on the pitch at the moment, their presence in the dressing room will be a big boost to the manager and his players.