Igor Tudor will be looking to make an immediate impact and instantly write his name into Tottenham folklore when he takes charge of his first match – the north London derby.
Spurs are the only team in the Premier League yet to win a match in 2026, and the unthinkable prospect of relegation looms closer. When they kick off on Sunday, they could be just two points above the relegation zone.
The Croatian coach, who has experience at Marseille, Juventus and Lazio, has a reputation of something of a firefighter. He rarely lasts anywhere for long and he’s not expected to remain at Tottenham beyond his contract until the end of the season.
He’s got a pretty impressive track record when it comes to the fabled new manager bounce, with six wins and one draw from his last seven first matches at various clubs.
Here’s how we predict Tottenham might line up against Arsenal.
GK: Guglielmo Vicario
The Italian is capable of spectacular saves and singlehandedly delivering points.
But Vicario’s also got the odd rick in him and he’s not always been entirely convincing when Tottenham’s backs are against the wall.
It’ll be interesting to see how he fares if Spurs are really dragged into the relegation quagmire. Things could go either way. But there’s no questioning his spot between the sticks.
RB: Archie Gray
Arguably the only Spurs player who emerged from the Newcastle defeat with any credit in the bank.
The rare goal was nice, but it was his all-around competent performance stood in stark contrast to his team-mates.
The 19-year-old’s future surely lies in midfield, but he remains useful as a utility player for now. With a breakout season at right-back at boyhood club Leeds United under his belt, he’s demonstrated he can do a job there.
CB: Micky van de Ven
There are question marks all over this XI, but one very obvious port of call is Van de Ven in the heart of the backline.
First name on the teamsheet, arguably.
CB: Radu Dragusin
Tudor tended to operate with a back five for much of his time at Juventus, Lazio, Marseille, and Hellas Verona.
We expect to see that formation shift in the coming weeks, but a major selection headache – club captain Cristian Romero suspended, Kevin Danso expected to remain out for “weeks” – leaves the Croatian’s hands tied. With only two senior centre-backs available, we can’t see him playing a back three.
There is the wildcard possibility of a makeshift backline. He could play someone out of position (Joao Palhinha?) or throw in a youngster (Jun’ai Byfield?), but we’re hedging our bets and guessing that Tudor will pragmatically go with the same centre-back partnership that started last time out.
He doesn’t have much choice. Van de Ven and Dragusin it is, then. Gulp.
LB: Djed Spence
It seems a long old time ago that Spence was regularly boasting on social media about the opposition wingers he had on lockdown.
Ideally you’d want him on his favoured right side, but with Destiny Udogie and Ben Davies out – and Gray proving adept to cover there – it’s a bit of a needs-must scenario.
There’s also January recruit Souza, but throwing in a teenager – fresh from Brazil – straight into a North London Derby would be madness.
DM: Joao Palhinha
Yves Bissouma looked off the pace and was hooked at half time last time out.
Fortunately for him, a new manager might come in with the idea of a clean slate – but you imagine that Tudor will have studied the tapes and will want a repeat of that horrorshow.
Palhinha’s progressive passing leaves a lot to be desired, with a sense that things were far too stodgy when he partnered Rodrigo Bentancur in Frank’s much-maligned double pivot (see: the last North London Derby back in November).
But Tudor has a reputation as a demanding taskmaster and one thing the Portuguese midfielder will offer is graft. He ranks top for tackles across Europe’s five major leagues this season, and his bite could come in handy against an increasingly-brittle-looking Arsenal.
CM: Conor Gallagher
A Palhinha-Gallagher partnership arguably suffers from the same trappings as a Palhinha-Bentancur one.
You can’t imagine the forward passing would be especially high, but it would be a tenacious, industrious pairing that would – at least, in theory – be difficult to play through.
Tudor will have to think more ambitiously in the medium term about how to set Tottenham up to get at the opposition. Frank’s inability to do that was ultimately his undoing.
The situation at hand for this game, though? Stopping Arsenal from playing and fighting tooth and nail for the clean sheet is enough. Do that and there’s something to build on.
READ: The amazing XI Tottenham would’ve had if they’d backed Ange Postecoglou
CM: Pape Matar Sarr
The Senegal international was a mainstay under Ange Postecoglou – the Australian’s most-used player – and was outstanding during the short-lived honeymoon period under Thomas Frank.
Sarr has had an up-and-down time of it over the past few months, but he’s surely a key cog of whatever project Tottenham might hope to build beyond Tudor’s tenure. And the injury list gives him little competition for a place in the XI here.
There’s also the option of dropping Sarr, or playing him instead of Gallagher or Palhinha, bringing Xavi Simons in deeper and throwing in another forward. But the circumstances of this game surely call for something a bit more sturdy and conservative.
FWR: Mathys Tel
Wilson Odobert started on the right side of Spurs’ attack last time out, but an ACL rupture will leave him sidelined until next season.
With Mohammed Kudus still unavailable, and Brennan Johnson not replaced, the wide attacking options look painfully short.
Tel replaced Odobert last time out and looks likely to be given the nod here, but there remains a sense we’re still waiting to see where he fits in best. Perhaps Tudor will be the man to unlock him.
ST: Dominic Solanke
“[The North London derby] could be a dream scenario, and it just could happen,” Frank told reporters in late January, with regards to Richarlison’s (and Pedro Porro’s) potential return date.
You imagine there’s nothing the Brazilian is itching to get back for Arsenal, but you’d imagine it’d be the bench at most.
There’s really little choice here but Solanke.
FWL: Xavi Simons
Simons had to make do with a substitute appearance as Frank opted for a belt-and-braces approach, featuring a back five, in the reverse fixture.
It was at that stage when the Netherlands international was still getting to grips with the pace and physicality of Premier League football.
He has more to do to silence his doubters, but in recent months, we’ve seen more regular, impactful performances.
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