Tottenham have gone rogue with latest move that will shake things up
Clubs hunting for an interim manager mid-season have often activated the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer model.
Solskjaer at Manchester United was what ChatGPT might offer up as the ideal candidate for a temporary stint in charge.
Pre-existing links to the club? Tick. A unifying figure for the fans? Tick. A 'go out and have fun lads' attitude in contrast to the previous regime? Full house.
Tottenham have previously deployed the same line of thinking, based seemingly on vibes above all else. Twice in the space of three seasons they turned to Ryan Mason.
Had Matt Wells still been at Spurs, rather than leaving in December to take charge of Colorado Rapids, perhaps he would have been the latest internal appointment.
Instead, Spurs have left the well-trodden path. With the stakes now much higher, they have gone rogue.
Spurs sit 16th in the table and five points off the bottom three. Igor Tudor is the man they have tasked with keeping them in the Premier League.
It is a significant risk. Tudor has no experience of Spurs or English football more generally, and is now thrown into the cauldron to lead a team with two wins in their last 17 Premier League matches.
Once Spurs decided to go down the interim route, Edin Terzic and Marco Rose were on the shortlist. Robbie Keane was a contender too.
The club wanted someone with track record of making an immediate impact and Tudor is an interim specialist. The choppier the waters, the more comfortable the 47-year-old is.
This will be the ninth time the Croatian has joined a club mid-season. Taking charge of Udinese in 2018, after the club had lost ten straight Serie A matches, Tudor led them to seven points from four matches. A year later he returned to steer them clear of relegation again.
Tudor arrived at Lazio in March 2024 and won six of his 11 matches in charge. At the same time of the season a year later, he lost only one of his first nine Juventus games.
Thomas Frank was unable to stamp his authority on this Spurs dressing room and there is a danger that an interim boss lacks the status to change that.
We all got acquainted with someone who was coarse and blunt. In his manners and words, he was authoritative. We were all a bit shocked.
Dimitri Payet
Cristian Romero was outspoken and caused problems for Frank. If and when survival is secured, the World Cup will likely be viewed as an increasing priority for many, particularly Romero.
With the players knowing Tudor will be gone in the summer, there is no guarantee he will get the buy-in he wants.
However, the Croatian can be expected to shake things up. Training will be tough and he is an intense character. The Spurs players will have a rocket fired up them.
Tudor is not one to come in and just get the squad smiling. Dimitri Payet, who played under Tudor at Marseille, remembered: "We all got acquainted with someone who was coarse and blunt.
"In his manners and words, he was authoritative. We were all a bit shocked."
Tudor likes to play a back-three system. Whether that remains the case at Spurs, where keeping that many defenders fit has been a challenge, remains to be seen.
On paper, it will be a stark contrast to what Frank served up this season. Tudor has played front-footed, attacking football, with pressing a key emphasis.
Trying to implement that with a squad creaking with injuries will be a major challenge. A north London derby at home to Arsenal on Sunday will be a test of just how brave Tudor is feeling and just how much confidence he has in the players.
Spurs sources have insisted the interim boss will be considered for the permanent job but Tudor is not one to hang around. Only once has he lasted more than a year in a dugout.
Even a job well done here - moving Spurs up towards mid-table and perhaps reaching the Champions League quarter-finals - is unlikely to earn him the full-time gig.
All signs point towards Spurs moving for Mauricio Pochettino. He has made it clear he wants to return but even his loyalty, surely, does not extend to being a Championship manager.
Tudor, a man well-accustomed to chaos and upheaval, must ensure there is still an appealing baton to pass on in the summer.
