Igor Tudor hasn’t exactly set the world alight in his short stint as head coach of Tottenham Hotspur; in fact, quite the opposite. Spurs are yet to earn a single point under his leadership, while conceding 14 across those four matches. To continue the burning metaphors, Tudor’s reign has been an absolute dumpster fire.
Which is why Spurs’ top brass are looking at alternatives, as David Orstein of The Athletic has the latest:
Well, duh.
The piece is remarkably light on detail for an Orstein article, but is essentially summarized in the tweet: Vinai Venkatesham and Johan Lange are actively searching for a replacement for Igor Tudor in the case that they opt to change tack once more in an effort to avoid a relegation that in many ways feels all but assured.
The oddity in the piece (which came out yesterday) is this specific part:
…Spurs are contingency planning for the event of bringing Tudor’s reign to an end following the Anfield trip.
My question in response to this is: why wait?
Though the piece is light on detail, reading between the lines it reeks of desperation and indecision from Spurs’ leadership. If you think Tudor is not the guy to help Spurs stave off relegation, will a trip to Anfield change that? If it is changing your thinking, then why? And if you think he indeed isn’t the guy, why then leave him in charge when the mentality and performance levels in the squad are at an all-time low under Tudor?
It’s the latest in a litany of missteps from Vinai and Lange, with the lack of leadership clear for all to see. There was a huge amount of indecision around Frank’s position, with a clear lack of identity as Spurs tumbled down the Premier League table not enough for them to pull the plug, instead waiting until Frank’s position was worse than untenable; there was the lack of movement in the January window after selling Spurs’ top scorer from the previous season, not replacing Brennan Johnson even after losing Mohammed Kudus for around three months (great work not panicking Johan); and then there was the appointment of Tudor, somebody who plays almost exclusively a system Spurs do not have the personnel for and who has no experience in the English top flight.
And that’s without even mentioning the squad Lange has constructed.
Vinai appears to know he’s in the hot seat as well, launching a press offensive via a piece in The Telegraph and in interactions with the Fan Advisory Board as he heaped blame upon previous Chief Executive Daniel Levy for running the club into the ground. The sacking of Tudor would be admitting yet another mistake, while keeping him in place could ensure relegation with Vinai at the rudder. He and Lange have engineered themselves into an indefensible position.
As to the replacements, there still seems to be a lack of clarity as to the potential options. Some (very unreliable) outlets have mentioned in recent days that Spurs have kicked the tires on Sean Dyche, while also mentioning he is not interested in another firefighting interim stint; Ryan Mason is always there as an option, with his spell in charge of West Bromwich Albion perhaps unfairly critiqued as they have torpedoed in form following his exit; and Harry Redknapp has hilariously put himself out there in the media as Spurs’ potential savior.
Fabrizio Romano, however, has said that Spurs’ preferred option is Roberto De Zerbi… and honestly, I think that would break me. Though the Italian manager is a decent coach and tactician, his particular brand of “intensity” is not what this squad needs right now; rather, they need something more akin to a therapist (or perhaps an exorcist). His temperamental nature is not the calming influence Spurs need in the midst of a fight for survival, and that’s without going into all the other red flags when it comes to De Zerbi which have been mentioned elsewhere on this site previously.
All in all, it seems like Tudor’s days are numbered. The only question now seems to be when… and who.