Spurs are facing the unthinkable less than seven years on from one of the biggest nights in the club’s history
Reprieve: Igor Tudor
Bradley Collyer/PA Wire
Sam Tabuteau
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Tottenham return to the scene of their 2019 Champions League final defeat to Liverpool as a club in turmoil.
Tonight they take on Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano. It was at the same stadium nearly seven years ago that - despite falling to goals from Mohammed Salah and Divock Origi - Spurs were supposed to embark on a new chapter of success in the club’s history.
Yet, the failure to build on that night in Madrid has hung over Spurs. They now find themselves staring at relegation to the Championship.
Spurs arrive in Madrid fresh, after a rare weekend off, but somewhat distracted. With just one point separating them from the relegation zone, tonight’s game against Atletico feels like something of an aside, and interim manager Igor Tudor has admitted that Premier League survival remains the priority.
Tottenham lost the 2019 Champions League final
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“Our first aim is the Premier League. This is something extra, but that doesn't mean that we don't want to pass to the next round,” Tudor said in his pre-match press conference on Monday evening.
Tudor, though, will be hoping to find that, like his predecessor, Thomas Frank, the Champions League can be a welcome distraction for his squad.
While one eye is on Sunday’s trip to Liverpool - with Spurs potentially finding themselves in the relegation zone by the time they kick off at Anfield - a performance in the Spanish capital could flick the switch for Tudor’s men after suffering their fifth successive defeat against Crystal Palace last week.
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He continued: “We have to grow. So, it can be an opportunity. A totally different mentality can be used in this kind of game. So maybe this can help us to see which problems we have. I believe that these kinds of games can help us to switch in the right way, but always focus on us, to grow as a team, to do things better.”
Spurs have played their best football this season in Europe, and with Tudor still searching for his first win as interim manager, he needs his side to find form now more than ever.
Tudor made a dramatic call to arms in the wake of last week’s 3-1 defeat to Palace, stating that he only wanted to work with players who were up for the fight.
The Croat was seemingly aiming a dig at some of those in the squad he feels are hiding from the gravity of the club’s situation. Being able to call upon captain Cristian Romero for the first time since taking charge three weeks ago, he will hope to see a change in mentality as Spurs look to change “old habits” and come away unscathed ahead of next week’s second leg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Captain Cristian Romero is back in the fold
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Tudor believes “something is moving” and he is in no doubt that Romero, who he says has been taking part in separate running sessions to maintain his fitness after more than a month out through suspension, can be the leader that Spurs’ fractured dressing room needs.
“He missed a lot. He was also not feeling good, to not be able to help the team. Now he's back. He was working these two, three weeks a lot,” Tudor said of Romero.
Plenty has been made of Romero’s behaviour this season, with the 27-year-old serving two separate suspensions as well as coming under fire for his social media outbursts criticising Spurs’ board.
His return, though, is massive for Spurs, who are looking for players not to rock the boat after a stormy last few months. With Romero linked to Atletico in the past, and rumours of a move away this summer not disappearing, there will be eyes on his performance from across the Metropolitano tonight.
Conor Gallagher, on his return to the club, is another player Tudor will surely look to instil some bite to Spurs’ midfield as they attempt to irritate one of Europe’s great disruptors in Diego Simeone’s dogmatic Atletico team.
Affectionately referred to as “the pitbull” during his time at Atletico, Simeone praised Gallagher as “very humble” yet “very dangerous” in his pre-match comments, and there is a tenacity and a willingness - after he was dropped to the bench against Palace - to make an impact against his former club.
There may be bigger things at stake for Spurs at the moment, but in the Champions League, they have found some rhythm, and for a team as devoid of confidence as they are, tonight’s game will surely be a reprieve. A chance to prove they still belong at Europe’s top table.
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