ATLETICO MADRID 5-2 TOTTENHAM: The Champions League proved to be no tonic for Spurs, whose crisis deepened on a night which both Antonin Kinsky and Igor Tudor will want to forget
For Antonin Kinsky, 17 minutes was enough. For Igor Tudor, four games should be.
To put his faith in a goalkeeper, the most scrutinised position on the pitch, only to hook him in such humiliating fashion begs the question: does Tottenham's new boss even believe in what he's doing? Four games clearly isn't what Tudor had in mind when he agreed to succeed Thomas Frank, but he knew full well what he was getting into - and how quickly change was needed.
It's obvious that Spurs are still on the slide which began long before even Frank took over. Tuesday's first half against Atletico Madrid will go down as the nadir of their struggles.
Four goals conceded in 22 minutes. Nothing short of a horror show. In the wake of Atletico's third of five on the night, Tudor made the remarkable decision to sub Kinsky - who'd been at fault for multiple goals, it must be said.
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Vicario might've felt a hint of smugness watching things play out, but he was almost apologetic towards Kinsky as he replaced him. Dropped only to be suddenly recalled, the Italian's confidence won't exactly be rock solid either.
If Tudor feels that it's right to hook a player after 17 minutes, then he can no complaints if Spurs pull the trigger on him. Kinsky certainly didn't cover himself in glory in Madrid, but his substitution threatens to 'finish' his Tottenham career after a mere 13 appearances since singing in January 2025.
That's the verdict of Ally McCoist, who told TNT Sports: "Finished. It'll finish him. There's no way back. Absolutely [that's on the manager].
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"You can make an argument he's got to do it as well, though, because you cannot make mistakes like that - they're schoolboy errors. It's proved he's made a mistake in changing the goalkeeper. That's an absolutely remarkable 14 minutes."
Tudor was so dismayed by the 22-year-old's performance that he didn't even acknowledge Kinsky when he trudged off at the baying Wanda Metropolitano. Football is a cruel business, but that was beyond the pale. At least a few of Kinsky's team-mates tried to console him, including captain Cristian Romero.
Ex-Tottenham goalkeeper Joe Hart was left flabbergasted at Tudor's snub of his young keeper, who'd suffered a public disaster. Hart said: "He's had a bad 14 minutes, there's absolutely no getting away from it. Even the stadium is feeling sorry for him.
"You see Tudor doesn't even acknowledge his goalie. Does not even acknowledge him. If that's man management, I'm flabbergasted."
"He's acted like that's not the 14th minute, and that doesn't happen at any level, I'm talking Sunday league. This is the Champions League. Yes he's had a bad moment. Has he done it on purpose? Course he hasn't. Stand by your team, send a message. No, stands there, pretends it's not happening, and moves on."
Spurs have a mountain to climb in the second leg, but even by Tudor's own admission, the Champions League is second on his list of priorities. Anfield beckons on Sunday - it can't get any worse, can it?