New Tottenham interim head coach Igor Tudor will lead his new side out against Arsenal this week
Igor Tudor will take charge of his first game as Tottenham Hotspur interim head coach this week and it is perhaps the toughest fixture possible in Europe right now.
Arsenal make the short trip to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday looking to pile more misery on their north London rivals. With Spurs 16th in the Premier League and Arsenal flying high at the top of the table, Tudor will have his work cut out if he is to take points from Mikel Arteta's side.
There's hope around Tottenham that experienced Croatian coach Tudor will be able to pick up the necessary points between now and the end of May to save Tottenham's season amid a possible relegation scrap. The former Juventus and Lazio boss will speak with the squad for the first time on Monday and will get straight to work ahead of Sunday's North London Derby.
“It is an honour to join this club at an important moment," the 47-year-old said after his appointment on Saturday. “I understand the responsibility I have been handed and my focus is clear. To bring greater consistency to our performances and compete with conviction in every match.
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“There is strong quality in this playing squad, and my job is to organise it, energise it and improve our results quickly.”
Tudor’s lack of Premier League experience has raised eyebrows amongst an already disgruntled and concerned Tottenham fanbase, especially given relegation to the second tier of English football for the first time since 1977 is a real possibility. However, former Juventus defender Tudor faced Spurs on two occasions during his time at Marseille in 2022 and won five of his nine matches at Lazio after his March arrival in the 2023-24 campaign.
Tudor produced an equally-impressive revival in Turin last year when he guided Juventus into the Serie A top-four with five victories during the final two months of the campaign, before he was dismissed in October. Tottenham’s hierarchy will be desperate for Tudor to enjoy a similar upturn, but in his first match in charge against Arsenal he could be missing up to 12 players.
It's clear Tudor needs to start winning games and that will be his biggest priority in the coming weeks. Getting three points on the board was something Thomas Frank struggled with and that, along with some poor performances, cost the Dane his job.
Under Frank, Tottenham had a 26.9% win percentage in the Premier League, winning just seven out of their 26 games played. In 38 games in total under Frank, Spurs won 13, drew 11 and lost 14 - earning the 52-year-old the worst win ratio (34.2%) of any permanent Tottenham manager, as per the BBC.
To compare, Ange Postecoglou had a 41% win rate in the Premier League, Nuno Espirito Santo had a 50% win rate and Mauricio Pochettino had a 56% win rate.
Tudor must improve Tottenham's form in the league as soon as possible and it, ideally, must start with avoiding defeat against Arsenal at the weekend. After the Gunners, the Lilywhites face Fulham, Crystal Palace, Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and Sunderland, so there are certainly opportunities for Tudor to turn things around.