EXCLUSIVE: Igor Tudor's seven-word mantra that all Tottenham players must follow after Thomas Frank exit
Igor Tudor will debut as Spurs boss on Sunday as his new side welcome bitter rivals Arsenal to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Igor Tudor will be in the Tottenham dugout for the first time on Sunday when his team face rivals Arsenal. And one of the Croatian manager's mantras must be welcomed by the entire cohort.
After the dismissal of Thomas Frank, Tudor was hired to steady the ship until the end of this season. Spurs sit dangerously close to the relegation places after hitting a barren spell under Frank.
Tudor has previously stepped in at Lazio and Juventus to put them on an even keel mid-season. He will now be tasked with a tall order when the Gunners head to N17.
During his time in Italy and France, one ideology was pivotal to Tudor's success. Italian football expert Daniele Fisichella has highlighted the 47-year-old's way of thinking, which may resonate more with some players than others.
FOLLOW OUR TOTTENHAM FB PAGE! Latest Spurs news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page
Fisichella exclusively told football.london: "The type of football that Tudor likes to play, it's vertical football. It's direct football, attacking in a way, where the intensity and the pace is key.
Revealing a seven-word mantra Tudor expects his players to adhere too, Fisichella continued: "One of his favourite quotes and that was when he was managing at Marseille, was, 'If you don't run, you don't play.' Dimitri Payet, who played there under him, didn't see the pitch that much, because probably in training he wasn't doing enough running."
Cristian Romero may not be the biggest fan of this outlook. Of every outfield player who played 200 minutes in the top-flight last season, the Tottenham captain spent 75.5 per cent of his time walking. This was the third-highest percentage in the Premier League.
Romero picked up his second red card of this season when he was given his marching orders in the first half of Tottenham's 2-0 loss to Manchester United earlier this month. This resulted in a four-match ban, meaning he won't be present on Sunday.
One player who is likely to feature against Arsenal is Micky van de Ven. Fisichella thinks the Dutchman should thrive under his new manager's mantra. He added: "I think anyone who's young, energetic, willing to run forward and willing to press will benefit from Tudor. He loves having somebody like Micky van de Ven.
"He's quick, therefore he can push the line higher. Having somebody of that pace, it's a great boost for him because that means his team can play maybe 10, 15 metres higher up the pitch. It will be an aggressive set-up, I think.
"He likes quite a pressing side. The issue is that not always, and not often, they convert those turnovers into shots or into goals, which is a completely different issue. But they do like to press.
"Frank had them pressing. So I think Tudor doesn't need to change too much of the mindset. And last season with Ange Postecoglou, they were used to trying hard, they were used to high intensity. So again, there's not much to change."