Hotspur HQ

Tottenham Hotspur finally look like a competently run team, and though the bar is set on the ground, Spurs were unable to even clear that for months under Thomas Frank. Although Igor Tudor is no tactical genius and his standoffish attitude can be a bit, well, off putting, the 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid was a clear sign that he is moving Spurs in a better direction than where they were before.

Spurs were actually defending well as a unit, minus a couple of blips, and they were actually capable of driving the ball forward and creating chances against a good team. Similarly, they looked quite good for most of the game against Liverpool, and the biggest difference is that they can actually string passes together and get on goal more than once or twice in a game.

It raises the question of how Frank even got the job in the first place. He must have been an all time fraud to have taken a team that started the season very well when they were still running on Ange Postecoglou's ideals, then turned them into the biggest embarrassment possible. He was the coach of the first 4-1 Arsenal loss, but even the second 4-1 Arsenal loss under Tudor clearly had Frank's thumb prints all over it.

Igor Tudor is already fixing Thomas Frank's mess

That's the thing. Tudor's slow start and the horrible play of Tottenham Hotspur as a team was likely a consequence of Frank bleeding over, and now the Atleti and Liverpool performances are signs of Tudor already fixing those ills after needing that adjustment period. Even the tough losses to Atletico Madrid in the first leg and Crystal Palace were more down to bad luck out of Tudor's control, because outside the Antonin Kinksy slips and the Micky van de Ven red card, Spurs were outplaying those opponents.

The fact that Thomas Frank pushed this team into relegation and could not make use of talents like Archie Gray, Mathys Tel, Lucas Bergvall, and more speaks volumes, and immediately Tudor has turned some of these guys into the studs that they are.

Brentford must get a ton of credit for not only being better this season without Frank, which is a red flag in its own right, but they also deserve a ton of credit for propping up a manager as seemingly incompetent as Frank so that Tottenham hired him to universal praise. Frank is Tottenham's most dreadful manager in memory, and if Spurs can survive the drop this season, the fact that they survived him should excite supporters for what could be to come in 2026/27 under someone much better.

Earlier than expected and without much more than a day's warning, Lucas Bergvall returned from another significant injury to give Tottenham Hotspur a boost, seeing out a 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League that serves as an important morale victory with the thick of the Premier League relegation battle on the horizon.

Bergvall is one of the bigges gems at Tottenham, and he was one of the team's best players in the 2024/25 season before going down with his first big injury before he could partake in the Europa League Final that he helped Spurs reach.

Now, Bergvall joins a midfield that should be even better going forward, because in his absence, another young gem, Archie Gray, has stepped up with even more impressive performances than the Swedish international.

Tottenham need to use the future now

Bergvall and Gray complement each other so well. Gray is the holding midfielder who screens the defense and makes plays, while Bergvall is a world class athlete and a fiery No. 8 who can run from box to box, even contributing to goals. Both young men were held back by Thomas Frank, and seeing Gray shine under Igor Tudor gives Bergvall hope that he can do the same.

The duo is the clear starting bedrock of a Tottenham Hotspur midfield that is finally begining to click into place with its best players. And ahead of them, Xavi Simons is the man to finish out the ideal midfield trio for Spurs, starting as the No. 10. Judging by how he performed against Atletico Madrid, he, too, like Gray, is ready to play his best football away from Frank.

Gray, Bergvall, and Simons together is an incredible midfield trio for Tottenham both in the short and long term. Most Spurs supporters would have told you before the season started that this trio would be the ideal group to start, but Frank spent so much time forcing the veterans like Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha into the starting lineup, perhaps because he knew those players better and had no idea what to do with the young stars.

But the future is now for Tottenham. Tudor is at least a competent manager, and he has found the winning formula in Gray, Bergvall, and Simons without even trying. With Bergvall back in the saddle after the injury, he is set to integrate seamlessly into this young and hungry trident, and they will need to be at their best in this relegation fight.

Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest have a lot of bad blood between them heading into Sunday's must win Premier League relegation six pointer. Spurs have just a few points on Forest in the table, and they are not going to take that slim lead for granted. After drawing Liverpool and beating Atletico Madrid, who are both into the Champions League quarterfinals, Spurs believe they are slowly finding their footing again under Igor Tudor.

Forest recently had two former Tottenham managers in Ange Postecoglou and Nuno Espirito Santo, and while those guys are bigger names, it has been Vitor Pereira who has suddenly turned Forest into a pretty tricky side to face.

Tottenham cannot afford to slip, because every mistake brings them closer to the nightmare of being a relegated Big Six club. Spurs especially cannot afford to slip against Forest, who are right there nipping at their heels. And after Evangelos Marinakis blocked Tottenham from the Morgan Gibbs-White signing in the summer transfer window, there would be an even more humilitating feeling at the thought of losing to Forest and then getting relegated by them in the end.

Nottingham Forest rested their stars before Tottenham

At mid week, Tottenham played their key players in a difficult second leg against Atletico Madrid, and though they did win, they did not complete the comeback and were eliminated. Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, benched almost all of their stars for the match against Midtjylland, but then brought them on in the second half as they came from behind to win on penalties.

The fact that Forest cared enough to rest their key players in a crucial second leg Europa League knockout tie that they were still very much in, down 1-0 on aggregate coming into the game, was a huge statement of intent from Marinakis, Pereira, and the organization that they are coming for Tottenham. Their No. 1 goal is to stay alive and relegated Spurs in the process.

So the additional fact that Forest still won, bringing on stars Elliot Anderson and Morgan Gibbs-White in the second half (among several other key players), is just added motivation for Tottenham to not screw this up and to put Forest in their place.

Tottenham are the bigger club, and they need to show it on Sunday. Forest are through to the next round, and while Spurs faced a much tougher opponent in Atleti, the reality is that they are out of their European competition. Now, the onus is on them to win.

Mathys Tel has become a favorite for many Tottenham Hotspur fans, and even though his young teammate Archie Gray has been the one to truly step into the spotlight over the last couple of weeks, the young Frenchman has been a real bright spot, too, benefiting from the switch in manager from Thomas Frank to Igor Tudor.

Unlike Frank, Tudor has actually consistently been giving Tel chances, and the 20 year old left winger is now stapling a regular spot in the Spurs starting lineup under the interim coach. Tel has predictably been excellent since getting that blessing from the coach, registering the opening assist with a gorgeous cross to Randal Kolo Muani in a 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

Tel shining under Tudor is a reminder of just how horrendous of a manager Frank was. Not only was he losing a ton of games, but he also set Tottenham up so negatively that they could not help but lose, even against clearly inferior opposition. Tel would be great in games off the bench and even score important goals, but Frank would not reward him with starts, possibly because the French youth international dared to commit the unforgivable sin of actually trying to score goals.

Mathys Tel has earned these minutes

Tudor at least embraces Tel's goal scoring instincts and verve to drive the ball into the box and shoot. Tel has not quit rewarded himself in front of goal under the Italian coach, but everything else, including the explosiveness and underrated creativity, are clearly there. The last remaining doubters in Tel are slowly starting to become believers, too, and the assist for Kolo Muani vs. the Rojiblancos likely helped.

Firing Frank was a decision that should have come months earlier, in all honesty, and while nobody will sit there and call Tudor the second coming of Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp, he looks a lot better than Frank. And what Tel is doing in the lineup for Spurs under Tudor's tutelage is only serving to galvanize the fan sentiment that Frank should have been done with a whole lot sooner by the Tottenham brass.

At the time, Spurs supporters knew Frank was ghastly and one of the worst managers they had seen. But now watching Mathys Tel play at a high level against some pretty big opponents with regular minutes, it really serves to show that Frank may have been even worse than they thought.

This time, Archie Gray's tremendous individual efforts were rewarded as part of a Tottenham Hotspur victory, but even when Spurs have been at their most woeful in the past few weeks, the 20 year old center midfielder has shown a quality above the rest of his teammates - and even the opposition.

Gray was wonderful in the 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid, ruling the midfield, with even Atleti star Marcos Llorente, who used to be a key player for the mighty Real Madrid, going out of his way to shake the former Leeds United man's hand.

You can see why Gray is so coveted by the big clubs around Europe, including Bayern Munich and that very same Real Madrid, and you can also see why Spurs are so worried about losing him. And after watching how brilliant he was in helping Spurs dismantle Atletico Madrid on a Champions League night, Tottenham fans have to be that much more against the idea of relegation from the Premier League - including those insane enough to think that relegation will be good for resetting the club.

Tottenham can't lose Archie Gray

Relegation would almost certainly mean losing Gray, becaue if Spurs get relegated, it will be even easier for thos elite clubs like Bayern and Real to pry him away. And Gray, as brilliant as he has been for Tottenham of late, is not ready for that kind of a move yet. When agents start getting involved and these big clubs and big fees are thrown around, you never know what can happen.

Tottenham Hotspur simply cannot leave things up to chance. Archie Gray is a gem of a footballer and an ideal modern midfielder in that deep playmaking role with his technical quality, bravery, versatility, and defensive coverage. Losing Gray is, if Spurs even needed another incentive, all the more reason to avoid any remote possibility of going down to the EFL Championship.

So as Tottenham fans watch Gray dazzle in the middle of the park, the knowledge that a talent of his caliber could leave should spark a fear in them that leads to even more vociferous cheers going forward. When relegation is on the line, losing the future world class players like Gray is also on the line, so survival is not just for the short term but for those long term ambitions every Tottenham Hotspur fan still has - and must have - of Premier League titles.

One of Thomas Frank's great oversights, especially when faced with a torrid availability crisis, was his unwillingness to turn to the club's academy.

A mightily unpopular figure come the end of his tenure, Frank did hand Jun'ai Byfield his senior debut in the Champions League and gave Luca Williams-Barnett a few minutes in the Carabao Cup, but that was it.

Embracing youth is almost a popularity cheat code for a manager, with supporters desperate to retain the sense of community that's gradually being eroded at the highest level. Seeing kids from the academy earn opportunities of a lifetime helps reinforce that connection.

Since rocking up on English shores, Igor "he doesn't know our game" Tudor has been chastised and borderline patronised; seen almost like a Borat figure because his expertise lies in the antiquated lands of Serie A, where the football is slow and everyone plays 3-5-2.

An admittedly poor start to his tenure left me sceptical, and the nightmare of an evening against Crystal Palace meant I was advocating for his sacking. I just didn't see any light at the end of any tunnels, only oncoming trains, but Tudor has proved plenty of panicked supporters wrong over the past 180 minutes of Tottenham Hotspur football we dreaded not so long ago.

The 47-year-old Croat, who was managing Italian minnows *Juventus* as recently as October, has proven himself to be not merely an adaptable football coach, but also an adroit politician who knows how to capture public feeling.

Trust in Tottenham's youth has aided Tudor's cause

Suddenly, there's hope in north London.

The draw at Anfield was followed up by our best performance in the best part of two years. Sure, it contributed to our Champions League exit, but winning Wednesday's second leg against Atlético Madrid felt hugely significant heading into Sunday's relegation six-pointer.

As a result of a newfound lease of life facilitated by Tudor, the club is starting to feel unified again. It's no longer a fixture to dread, but one that should be met head-on. Victory over Nottingham Forest, given what's immediately come before it, means the Doomsday scenario of Championship football will seldom be considered during the international break.

It's bound to be a special atmosphere for what's our most significant domestic fixture in years, and that's not merely because of the occasion, nor as a result of Wednesday's excellent performances. Tudor's helped shift the narrative by turning to teenagers.

Callum Olusesi hasn't generated anywhere near the buzz that any of Williams-Barnett, Byfield, or even Tynan Thompson have, yet the 19-year-old midfielder, in back-to-back games, has been handed Premier League and Champions League debuts at critical junctures.

And guess what, the kid looked at ease. These academy starlets are good! Fabio Paratici was rather hit-and-miss on the recruitment front, but boy, did he do a stellar job to regenerate a stagnant academy in north London. He helped do the same at Juventus, and Luciano Spalletti is the latest to reap the rewards.

Olusesi may not amount to anything at Tottenham, but that's beyond the point. Tudor's trust in an exciting academy has helped foster the sudden feeling of hope in what are still perilous times. There may be fewer opportunities as more senior players return, but the teenager must believe that there's a pathway for him to succeed at Spurs, one that was seemingly blocked by Frank.

The interim manager is certainly winning me over, and those who believe ’Arry Redknapp is the answer may have their minds changed come Sunday evening.

Tottenham Hotspur were so much better against Atletico Madrid, and while they are knocked out of the Champions League Round of 16 anyway, the way they fought and won against one of European football's top sides can never be discounted. And the victory is far from a mere moral one, as Spurs can take a lot of important lessons and carry with them the big time performances and momentum into a must win Premier League relegation duel with Nottingham Forest this weekend.

Out of all the standout individual performances from Tottenham players against Atletico Madrid, unfortunately, a negative display cannot be lost in the shuffle. Radu Dragusin shows a lot of heart for this team, including in a draw with Liverpool last Premier League weekend when he showed clear basic deficiencies on the ball.

Well, there were little silver linings to take away from Dragusin as an individual against Atletico. Tottenham won the game but lost the war, and while Dragusin was not the reason for their elimination at the hands of Diego Simeone's side, it is always worth noting the players who do not stand out positively when the team plays very well because those tend to be the players who REALLY get exposed when things do not go as well.

Radu Dragusin is poor even when Tottenham are good

That has been the case for Dragusin this season. He has not played much and missed most of the early part of the season recovering from injury, but when he has played, he has looked so many cuts below the class of player Tottenham want that it is becoming obvious he has no future at the club.

A move back to Serie A, which was rumored in the winter transfer window, is the best case for Dragusin. He was a liability defensively against Atletico, scarcely ever winning possession for Spurs, which is supposed to be his best trait.

On the ball, Dragusin is untenable. His pass completion percentage of 68 percent was beyond woeful. Dragusin is unable to complete even simple passes, and Spurs fans can forget about him showing any range. He does not have the technical quality to get the ball over the top, which is really a basic enough skill anyway, especially at the Premier League level.

Tottenham inexplicably started Dragusin over Kevin Danso against Atleti, and that is a mistake that cannot happen again. Dragusin is clearly the fourth choice center back at Tottenham, and with both Kota Takai and Luka Vuskovic on loan in the Bundesliga as better players, Dragusin truly has no future left at the N17.

Tottenham Hotspur got back to winning ways, and while it did not mean anything competitively as the 3-2 victory over Atletico Madrid only meant that the aggregate loss in the Champions League Round of 16 was 7-5, the way Spurs played means a lot to them going forwrd in a tense Premier League relegation battle that will only heat up this weekend against Nottingham Forest.

There were so many positives for the home crowd to take home with them, including a master class from Xavi Simons and more brilliance from the rising duo of Archie Gray and Mathys Tel. But the fine work of Callum Olusesi off the bench should not be lost in all this.

Tottenham manager Igor Tudor may only carry the interim label, but he has already made some bold calls that have paid dividends, showing far more faith in the talented youth at the N17 than the mercifully deposed Thomas Frank ever did.

Callum Olusesi is a real part of the Tottenham squad now

Integrating Olusesi into the first team has been the boldest of these calls, and the highly talented prospect has only rewarded the Italian coach immensely. Even though he only played 10 minutes, Olusesi proved he can hang with one of the best midfields in the world, and when you juxtapose his performances and composure with that of veteran Premier League center midfielder Conor Gallagher, it really stands out how good Olusesi is for where he is.

Johan Lange and Vinai Venkatesham have been blasted heavily by the media and even Spurs fans for the Igor Tudor appointment, but Tudor has done so well with Olusesi that this positive alone is a bit of a vindication for Lange, Vinai, and the rest of the office selecting Tudor, whose track record in world football has honestly been pretty underwhelming.

Tudor deserves massive plaudits for believing in Olusesi. His cameo appearance to see the game off against Atleti was gargantuan and a clear indication that he merits more minutes. Olusesi was confident, composed, and willing to drive the ball forward. His work rate and efficacy were double that of Gallagher's and many of the experienced midfielders who have come through the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the last few seasons.

Tottenham Hotspur prevailed in the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 against Atletico Madrid, taking down the Spanish giants 3-2 in their most impressive and comprehensive team display of the Igor Tudor era. Young stars Xavi Simons, Archie Gray, and Mathys Tel all clicked, finally playing at an elite level together.

But while the win was a cause for celebration for Spurs fans despite the ultimate result of an expected Champions League elimination, the feeling is ultimately bittersweet. Because as Tottenham supporters think about it for a second, based on how they played across both legs, they really should have won the tie.

It begins to set in, then, that the only real reason why Spurs ultiamtely did not prevail over Atletico Madrid was the slips and mistakes by young goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky. Of course, no rational Spurs fan holds ill will or truly blames Kinsky for the mistakes. He was thrown into the fire in a huge game under immense pressure by Igor Tudor, and he unfortunately slipped on an Atleti pitch that has cost so many victims across the 2025/26 La Liga, Champions League, and even Copa del Rey seaons, including blowing out Barcelona behind the dark arts of Diego Simeone's slick pitch.

Tottenham were better than Atletico Madrid

All the same, it does not make the realization any less crueler. Had Kinsky not made those errors and played as well as Guglielmo Vicario did between the sticks in the second leg of the Champions League tite, Tottenham Hotspur almost certainly would have made it through to the next round, as they were outplaying Atletico Madrid in open play.

None of that is a reason to ruminate and lash out at Antonin Kinsky for these unfortunate errors, and, if anything, the bitterness of the truth should ultimately be empowering for Tottenham - a positive message to keep in their hearts.

Because if it were not for those fluke mistakes by the young keeper making his first start in ages, Tottenham would have won precisely since they were the better team than Atleti. Yes, the Premier League side buried in a relegation battle were better than the consensus No. 3 team in Spanish football.

If that fact does not give Tottenham the confidence they need to blow out Nottingham Forest in an even more crucial weekend fixture in the Premier League, which is a true relegation six pointer, then it's hard to think of what else will.

For some odd reason, Johan Lange decided that spending 40 million euros on Conor Gallagher and no other established players in the winter transfer window would be exactly what Tottenham Hotspur needed. Fast forwar a couple of months later, and Spurs are in the relegation battle, with the lack of January reenforcements partially to blame for their predicament.

Meanwhile, Gallagher has done very little to help Spurs fortunes, but after watching Tottenham take care of business at home against Atletico Madrid with a 3-2 victory, two sentiments have set in. The first is that Gallagher is an even more useless signing than the cynics would have predicted at the time. But secondly, part of what makes him such a useless signing is actually the positive development for Spurs that Archie Gray and Callum Olusesi are better than expected.

Tottenham did give Gallagher a bit of a run around against his former employers, as he came on in the 80th minute and did his usual bit of nothingness to close out the game. As anyone could have told Lange and Spurs, Gallagher offers nothing creatively and is poor going forward, and even his defensive work is mediocre at best. Nothing in the last couple of weeks has changed these assertions on the former Atletico Madrid transfer flop's game.

Tottenham's young guns are better than Conor Gallagher

So the real reason Gallagher's transfer looks even worse is how unnecessary is looks in hindsight. Pape Matar Sarr was brilliant over the weekend against Liverpool and just as good this week against Atletico Madrid, too. Olusesi has come on strong as a real X-Factor from the youth phase, and he now has a real spot in the first team squad. And Lucas Bergvall returned from injuruy to make a second half mark for Spurs against Atleti as well.

Gray and Sarr are both starting caliber players for Tottenham, as they have proven in recent matches. Bergvall is as big of a gem as Gray, and both men are future superstars and building blocks for this team. Conor Gallagher should never be in front of them. And now with Olusesi, even thinking about Gallagher a top rotational option for Spurs is out of the window, especially since Rodrigo Bentancur should not be too far behind Bergvall in returning from injury either.