Tottenham Hotspur manager Igor Tudor encountered turmoil and squad discord at previous club Marseille that resulted in five players being expelled from training. Spurs' campaign reached a striking new nadir on Thursday evening when they suffered a 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace at home, leaving them hovering perilously close to the relegation zone. Tudor has been unable to ease any of the mounting tension in north London after Spurs severed ties with Thomas Frank in February following a sequence of disappointing results.
The Croatian has been defeated in all three of his fixtures at the helm thus far and his nightmarish stint somewhat mirrors the ill-fated period he experienced in France between 2022 and 2023. Despite guiding Marseille to third place in Ligue 1, Tudor, 47, departed the club 12 months after joining them, citing "tiredness." His tenure at the Velodrome was characterised by friction and internal strife. It was perhaps inevitable it would conclude in disaster. The Marseille squad were believed to hold affection for previous manager Jorge Sampaoli, who departed having disagreed with the club's transfer policy.
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Upon his arrival in France, there were clear signs that the squad were instantly dissatisfied with Tudor's appointment, with noticeable unease reportedly brewing between the coach and his players during a gruelling pre-season.
What ensued was nothing short of complete bedlam. Brazilian midfielder Gerson was believed to have engaged in a fiery confrontation with Tudor and was excluded from training.
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French full-back Jordan Amavi was subsequently excluded from the first team squad altogether following a disagreement with Tudor on the same day. Turkish winger Cengiz Under also had differences with his head coach, though he wasn't thought to have been dismissed from the sessions.
Former Arsenal defender Nuno Tavares was similarly ejected from a training session. Senegal striker Bamba Dieng was reportedly removed as well, though the circumstances behind that remain uncertain.
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Another ex-Gunner, Matteo Guendouzi, had a confrontation with Tudor and likewise experienced his manager's fury. Guendouzi purportedly had a "lively altercation" with his boss during the team's 2-0 pre-season loss to AC Milan.
This led to the Frenchman leaving the pitch for a shower, gathering his kit and failing to emerge for the second half. Addressing his approach to discipline, Tudor said: "In my football, there is a feature, you have to run. And if you don't... If I see one player that doesn't run in training, I'll say it once, twice and then on the third time of asking, I'll intervene."
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Discussing a player, who was subsequently revealed to be Tavares, Tudor stated the international was not making "necessary efforts" as the justification for sidelining the current Lazio star.
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Tudor's turbulent spell also took a bizarre twist after former Italian international, Mauro Camoranesi, lasted merely a week as assistant coach, despite Tudor presenting him to his players as his "right arm."
Following Tudor's departure for Lazio, where his tenure lasted just three months, Marseille president Pablo Longoria told Calciomercato: "I wouldn't wish what Igor suffered on my worst enemy.
"He found himself at a club where everyone was against him, from the inside and outside. Many people organised themselves to increase the tension against him. People were asking for Jorge Sampaoli to return, whilst others wanted to give power to the players.
"There were requests to fan groups to oust the coach. When I returned to Marseille, I felt that pre-season was like the 37th matchday of the championship, you had to play your life. It's not normal."
After the Palace defeat, Tudor's remarks indicated he is prepared to take action against those Spurs players who fail to swiftly embrace his approach, echoing his rigid discipline in France. "I will tell you now, maybe it will sound strange, but I believe more after this game than I believed before," said Tudor.
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"I saw something. I need to choose the right guys because the boat is going in the direction that I want to go, and needs to go, and who is in the boat can stay. Otherwise they can leave the boat."
Matters don't become any simpler for Spurs next week. They travel first to Atletico Madrid for the opening leg of their Champions League last-16 clash, before heading to Liverpool in the league.