Spurs Web

Tottenham Hotspur boss, Igor Tudor, has now revealed some of the early conversations he has had with his players and whether he has picked his captain for Sunday’s derby clash.

Igor Tudor has spent the last few days settling into life at Tottenham Hotspur ahead of what will be a hectic next few months.

The former Juventus man, however, looks up to the task, as he made it clear that he is at Tottenham to work and that the club is 100% going to avoid relegation.

He also spoke about understanding the demands of Tottenham and the reason for the swift impact he has had at clubs he has previously managed.

Undoubtedly, Spurs will hope he can deliver similar success as they aim to stay clear of the relegation places.

Tottenham boss Igor Tudor opens up on Cristian Romero and Radu Dragusin talks

Tudor has also been getting familiar with the players at his disposal. He is not a total stranger, though, having worked with five current Tottenham players in the past.

Cristian Romero, Radu Dragusin, Rodrigo Bentancur, Dejan Kulusevski and Randal Kolo Muani have all worked under the Croat at different stages of their careers.

MORE SPURS STORIES

The 47-year-old has now revealed details of the conversations he has been having with his players as he continues to settle in.

Discussing his early talks with the leadership group and the messages he wanted to send, Tudor explained that clarity on values and style has been central.

Speaking to Tottenham’s official channels, he said: “No, the conversation was what I said now. It is about everything. You cannot say we speak about this, then we speak about this.

“You need to speak about players, but also about concrete things on the pitch, what you want. Because the players need it and they want to have clarity about what we want.

“This was the goal to send two messages about people, about men, about values, and about how we want to play. To get these things together and working.”

Reflecting on his previous spell working with Cristian Romero, Tudor addressed their history and the defender’s development.

He added, “Yes (I worked with him before). I sent him out (on loan to Atalanta). No, he told me that now ‘You sent me to Atalanta’. He went to Atalanta and then he made his fantastic career and became what he became.”

Spurs reunion gives Igor Tudor familiar foundations

Turning to his past work with Radu Dragusin, Tudor acknowledged spotting his potential early. He continued: “Yes, he was a young player in the period I was there (Juventus).

“I recognised in him immediately the skills – he was good already. He was young. He is still young, but not like he was four or five years ago.”

He also reflected on the Croatian links to Tottenham and the memories attached to them. He added: “My best friend was here – Stipe Pletikosa, the goalkeeper.

“Also, the best player in the history of Croatian football, Luka Modric. Of course, nice things happened 10-15 years ago. It is past a bit of time but it is nice.”

Finally, when asked about his captain for the north London derby with Cristian Romero suspended, Tudor kept his cards close to his chest. He said: “We will see on Sunday…”

Igor Tudor has addressed how he intends to shape Tottenham Hotspur amid a mounting injury crisis, ahead of the north London derby.

Tottenham Hotspur fans will have hoped for a positive injury update ahead of the north London derby against Arsenal.

However, that was not the case, with Igor Tudor only confirming that Dominic Solanke trained for two days, although the Englishman has a throat issue. He also stated that some of the other injured players could return next week.

Speaking about the fitness of his Tottenham squad, he said: “Probably no, Solanke has some problem with his throat, but he made two days training. All the others, some are next week.”

Tottenham injury crisis forces Igor Tudor to rethink Spurs system

That leaves Spurs in a similar position to when they last faced Newcastle United, with no fit wingers available for selection.

At the back, if Tudor deploys three centre-backs, he will have to rely on a makeshift option, with Cristian Romero suspended and Kevin Danso injured.

The midfield is also stretched, with Lucas Bergvall and Rodrigo Bentancur injured, while Mohammed Kudus, Wilson Odobert and Dejan Kulusevski are unavailable.

MORE SPURS STORIES

It raises questions about how Tudor will set up and what his style of play will look like with so many absentees.

Addressing the tactical dilemma and the impact of injuries, Tudor explained that mentality comes before system when players are missing.

Speaking to Tottenham’s official channels, he said: “I would say it is more difficult when you do not have players. But then it is easy to choose a system. As I said on Tottenham television, it is always the style after the mentality.

“That system can be, as you know, during the game the players are moved, it can be changed. It is only starting position after it is all about fluid and movement, without ball of course. Then you need to choose for the characteristics of the players.

“The available players. If you have wingers, fantastic wingers. You play with the wingers. If you have fantastic strikers, you play with strikers, or midfielders (etc). That is the key, but it is not about the system. That is the last thing that is important for this start.

“As I said before, you need to become a team, you need to become the group of the people with values, who give something more, who watch after each other, who do not watch themselves, but each other to help them.

“This is, for me, basic. After, all the quality can come out, because this is a team who is full of quality, I believe, full of talented players with good motivations who can run. So, there is plenty of potential. To come out with potential, some basics need to be done.”

Spurs still have quality despite injury setbacks

Of course, despite the injury problems, Tottenham still have enough quality to hurt teams, even Arsenal on Sunday.

Spurs also have the advantage of a 12-day rest coming into the north London derby, which should keep them fresh physically and mentally.

Tottenham boss Igor Tudor has outlined his plan to tackle Arsenal on Sunday during the north London derby despite an injury crisis.

It is no secret that Igor Tudor has a big task on his hands as he aims to steady the ship at Tottenham Hotspur.

The injury situation has not helped his cause, with as many as 12 players set to miss out on Sunday in the north London derby.

Still, the expectation is for results to improve, as Tottenham cannot afford to lose any more games, given how close they are to the relegation zone.

West Ham United, 18th in the Premier League table and five points behind 16th-placed Spurs, have been finding some form.

The Hammers could reduce the gap between themselves and Tottenham to two points should they manage a win against Bournemouth and Spurs lose to Arsenal.

Igor Tudor explains the need for a strong mentality on Sunday against Arsenal

Tudor is well aware of the task at hand and has now outlined how he plans to deal with the lack of fit players during the encounter with Arsenal.

MORE SPURS STORIES

Speaking to the official Tottenham channels, the Croatian acknowledged the scale of the injury problems, described the limited numbers available in training, and stressed that mentality will be key despite the circumstances.

He said: “Yeah, a very particular moment, as you know, this very rare situation that we find, 10 players injured, some with big injuries also.

“So we made training with 13 players, so it is how it is. It is not fantastically beautiful, but it is in this case a bigger challenge to succeed, to come out from this situation, which is now, of course.

“13 we will have, for sure, and it is quite enough to achieve what we want on Sunday. And that is the first of all.

“Of course, I understand the importance of this game, this is a derby, you know, north London derby. Everybody expects the points, the three points from us.

“We are aware of this, but what was my goal in these first sessions we made is that we became a team, that we became a team in the right meaning of the word, you know, the team who want to suffer when it needs to suffer.

“To fight, to run, to have the right mentality. Also, you know, this is the start. Also, I was working on a lot of things, not everything because football is not only about that.

“It is about having a clear idea of what we want to do. Very, very specific things we want to do with the ball, without the ball, when we are pressed or when we are low. So we work a lot, but the start is always about mentality. That is because the people come before the football player.”

Tottenham will need fans to spur them on against the Gunners

Arsenal also have injuries of their own, with the likes of Merino, Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka all doubts.

However, their injury list is nothing compared to that of Spurs, who will almost certainly feature several academy players on their bench.

Tudor’s view of the situation speaks to his mentality and determination to put up a fight, as he opted against using the injury crisis as an excuse.

With Tottenham short of fit players, the new boss will no doubt be hoping the 12th man – Spurs fans – can spur his side on as they look to end a four-year winless league run against the Gunners.

Igor Tudor has moved swiftly to address the noise surrounding Tottenham relegation fears, offering supporters a strong guarantee.

Despite results faltering, the Tottenham Hotspur higher-ups often choose their words carefully when addressing the club’s current struggles, frequently avoiding the dreaded word relegation.

However, Spurs fans are not oblivious to the fact that their club is struggling and is in a relegation scrap, with many beginning to worry whether their side will stay up next season.

New interim boss Igor Tudor has been brought in to steady the ship, and many Tottenham supporters will be hoping he can keep them well clear of the drop zone with 12 games left to play this season.

Tottenham boss Igor Tudor sends clear relegation message to Spurs fans

Speaking to football.london, Igor Tudor delivered a direct response when asked whether Spurs will remain a Premier League club next season, offering a one-word guarantee designed to calm nerves.

When questioned if Tottenham will be a Premier League team next season, Tudor replied: “100%”

In the same interview, Tudor was also asked about his first few days in charge and made it clear his focus is firmly on the task at hand rather than settling in.

MORE SPURS STORIES

He added: “I did not enjoy because I am not here to enjoy. I am here to work. It is the first moment and there is work to do. It is a privilege to be here.”

Spurs can look to Igor Tudor track record for reassurance

Tottenham fans will now be hoping that Tudor can begin his Spurs tenure with a win against bitter rivals Arsenal, a side they have not beaten since 2022.

History suggests Tudor has form when it comes to making an immediate impact.

When he arrived at Juventus in March last year, he guided the side to five wins, three draws and just one defeat in his opening nine matches, securing Champions League football.

Notably, he produced the same return from his first nine games at Lazio the previous season.

In fact, earlier in his managerial career, the former Juventus manager took charge of Udinese and oversaw a swift turnaround, lifting them from the foot of the table and steering them clear of relegation within six matches.

Igor Tudor has provided an injury update on his Tottenham squad ahead of this weekend’s north London derby against Arsenal.

The wait is slowly coming to an end as Tottenham Hotspur fans are set to see their side back in action on Sunday evening in the Premier League after a 12-day break.

It will for sure be a new feel in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as new boss Igor Tudor is set to take charge of his first game as Tottenham manager.

Spurs fans have already teased the potential return of the Forever Tifo as they aim to create a rocking atmosphere against their bitter rivals, Arsenal, in the Premier League.

The Gunners come into this league fixture off the back of two draws with Brentford and Wolves, failing to extend their lead at the top to seven points.

A victory here for the new manager will be the perfect start for him, as not only does it bring an end to Spurs’ poor run against their London rivals, but he also gets to put another dent in Arsenal’s title push.

Having a fully fit squad will no doubt be important for Tudor, who has now provided an injury update on his Tottenham first-team squad.

MORE SPURS STORIES

At the moment, Spurs continue to nurse several injuries, with the likes of Mohammed Kudus, Rodrigo Bentancur, Ben Davies, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Lucas Bergvall all out for extended periods.

Kevin Danso’s return date remains unknown, while Destiny Udogie continues to nurse a hamstring problem after picking up a knock last time out. Wilson Odobert has done his ACL and is also unavailable for this encounter.

Richarlison returned to training this week, although Pedro Porro’s status is unknown. Cristian Romero is still suspended following his red card against Manchester United.

Speaking on the fitness of his current squad, Igor Tudor revealed that Dominic Solanke struggled with a throat problem this week, but has been back in training for two days. Unfortunately, no other injury returnees are expected this week, although some could be back in training next week.

Tottenham Hotspur have now confirmed that a familiar face will be in attendance at the North London Derby when Spurs take on Arsenal.

Tottenham Hotspur are hoping to get their season back on track after a disappointing opening six months under former boss Thomas Frank.

Frank failed to keep Spurs competitive in all competitions during his seven-month spell, and that eventually earned him the sack.

Former Juventus manager Igor Tudor has now come in to steady the ship, but his first match as Tottenham boss is as big as it gets, with north London rivals Arsenal set to visit N17.

Tottenham confirm Dele Alli return for North London Derby vs Arsenal

Tudor has promised to deliver a bold, attacking brand of football in north London, and that is something Tottenham fans will surely get behind.

The atmosphere on Sunday evening could be rocking as Spurs look to put a dent in their rivals’ title aspirations, while also getting their own season back on track.

MORE SPURS STORIES

Spurs have now confirmed that former Lilywhite star Dele Alli will be in attendance as a special guest at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium during Spurs’ clash against Arsenal.

Alli is a popular figure in N17, having featured 269 times, scoring 67 goals and registering 59 assists in all competitions for Tottenham. The hope will be that Spurs can give him a proper welcome back with a victory against Arsenal.

Spurs and Dele Alli history in North London derby fixtures

The former Tottenham number 20 is no stranger to these derby matches and featured several times against the Gunners.

He was part of the Tottenham side that secured a 2-0 win over Arsenal in April 2017 in the Premier League, when Spurs were gunning for the title. He also netted in the 2018 Carabao Cup quarter-final against the Gunners, with a delightful chip.

However, the trajectory of both clubs is now rather different, with Arsenal on the up and often having the upper hand in these derby encounters, with Tottenham last winning against their rivals back in 2022.

There has been a big update regarding the coaching setup at Tottenham as Igor Tudor’s backroom staff continues to take shape.

Tudor has a monumental challenge ahead, having been tasked with galvanising the Spurs squad and ensuring that they move away from relegation trouble.

The Croat is no stranger to taking over clubs mid-season, having plenty of experience in firefighting at multiple Serie A clubs, and he has brought some trusted associates with him.

It was reported a few days ago that Ivan Javorcic, Riccardo Raganacci, and Tomislav Rogic will join the Tottenham setup as the assistant coach, physical coach and goalkeeping coach, respectively, but there has now been an interesting update.

Bruno Saltor joins Igor Tudor’s Tottenham coaching team

Spurs have now announced the new appointments who will assist the Croat until the end of the season, and their official confirmation contains a surprise.

It is revealed that Bruno Saltor has been added to Tudor’s coaching staff at Hotspur Way, but there is one interesting omission.

Contrary to previous reports, Javorcic has not been confirmed yet as being part of the 47-year-old’s setup at Spurs. Javorcic has been Tudor’s right-hand man at previous clubs, and Alasdair Gold has described him as Tudor’s ‘trusted number two’.

MORE SPURS STORIES

Bruno Saltor has vast experience in England, having played 235 times for Brighton across seven seasons. He then transitioned into a coaching role with the Seagulls.

Saltor then moved with Graham Potter to Chelsea and even served as the caretaker manager for a 0-0 draw with Liverpool when Potter was sacked. Spurs have a long history of hiring former Chelsea managers, including Andre Villas-Boas, Glenn Hoddle, Jose Mourinho, and Antonio Conte.

Most recently, he served under Potter once more as assistant head coach at West Ham.

Two coaches have remained at Spurs despite Thomas Frank’s exit

Justin Cochrane, John Heitinga and Chris Haslam have left Hotspur Way, along with analyst Joe Newton.

However, it has been reported that set-piece coach Andreas Georgson has been retained by Tottenham despite being brought through the door after Frank’s arrival, as has the individual development coach Cameron Campbell.

Ange Postecoglou has now explained why Tottenham approached the Europa League differently than the Premier League last season after Micky van de Ven claimed that the players asked for a more defensive approach.

The Australian has been speaking to The Overlap and has not held back in his criticism of the Tottenham Hotspur hierarchy.

Postecoglou has accused Spurs of not operating like a big club and not living up to the club’s ‘to dare is to do’ motto, with the way they operate in the transfer market.

The Australian has now made an admission on his decision to change his tactics in the business end of the Europa League last term.

Ange Postecoglou reveals Tottenham trained differently for Europa League knockout games

In his own appearance on the same podcast back in December, Micky van de Ven revealed he and Cristian Romero challenged Postecoglou’s gun-ho tactics mid-season.

The Dutchman explained that the pair had told the former Tottenham boss that the team had to be ‘more defensive sometimes’, which he agreed to.

When asked about Van de Ven’s revelation, Ange Postecoglou has now told The Overlap: “Yeah, it’s the old adage of, you know, success has many fathers, and failure is an orphan,” he said. “Everyone contributed to the Europa League, the league was all on me, by the way! That’s totally on me, but the Europa League, we all contributed to that!

MORE SPURS STORIES

“So, my thought process around that was, we got to February, I think we’d just lost to Liverpool, because we had a deep run in the Carabao Cup, the second leg, and we’d won the first leg 1-0, but we were on fumes by then, so Liverpool battered us.

“So we’re out of the Carabao Cup, I said okay, we’re 16 points from relegation, that isn’t going to happen. We’ve got a real narrow path to winning something, right, for this football club, which we know what that means, but also, Champions League, Champions League money, so, again, I’m obsessive about the game.

“I did a deep dive on who’s won the Europa League in recent times, Unai [Emery] who’s won it three times, Jose [Mourinho’s] won it, Oliver Glasner’s won it, I think Diego Simeone won it. There’s a thread through there of the kind of football, because it’s different from the Champions League, the Champions League is a bigger variance of quality, the top teams in the Champions League to the bottom, massive, and you always get the best teams winning it.

“In the Europa, it’s not that much, because the teams from the Premier League compared to the teams that finish fourth or fifth in Germany or Spain, it’s quite competitive. What I saw what they were doing, well, they were playing pretty risk-free, very, you know, strong defensive organisation, and if we could somehow create that model for the Europa League with the players I had.

“Key to that was Van de Ven and Romero, and I did have discussions with the players. I mean, I was being a bit facetious about it, but I wanted them to buy into it, because it was a little bit of a departure, but they were all in for it. I said, ‘look, this is the kind of football that will get us through, because I know cup football anyway, is different from your league football’. So, we trained differently, we were prepared differently.”

Postecoglou reveals why he did not change his tactics in the Premier League

While Spurs may have adopted a more pragmatic approach in the latter stages of the Europa League, their approach did not change domestically, even though their results were going from bad to worse.

Postecoglou revealed that he did not want to change his style in the league since the club had bought him in to play attacking football.

The 60-year-old added: “People will say ‘well, why don’t you do that in the league?’ Well, they were doing that in the league with Antonio [Conte] for two years, and they didn’t like it. So, that’s not what the club wanted, but this was about the process of getting to winning a competition that had a clear strategy, you could do it.

“So, we did. And if you look at the final. By the end of it, I put on Kevin Danso to turn the back four into a back five, then I put on Djed Spence, I think I had about seven defenders on there, and I was looking at the bench to see if there was any other defenders!

“I could hear my dad going ‘what are you doing?’ And, you know, we’ve got a line of about seven players on the edge of our box at one stage. But at the same time, I knew if we shut down Bruno [Fernandes], they weren’t going to score. I just felt with United, the way they set up with Ruben [Amorim] and the kind of ways they would try to break us down if we were really solid defensively, as long as we scored, we had to get a goal. We were still aggressive with our press, that didn’t change.

“But in terms of being a little bit more direct, yeah, for sure, and a lot more sort of defensively rigid, that definitely happened. But that was because I, in my mind, thought, well, what a unique opportunity.”

Tottenham Hotspur fans have now responded to the club’s decision to freeze season-ticket prices for next season.

Tottenham Hotspur have the second-most-expensive adult season ticket in the Premier League at the moment, with an adult season ticket costing about £2,223.

That is a significant amount for fans of the north London club to pay, and many Spurs supporters have since voiced their discontent about high season-ticket prices.

And who can blame the Spurs fans, especially when the displays from the team have been lacklustre for most of this season?

In fact, in recent weeks, the stadium has been far from a packed arena, as many fans appear to have lost the desire to turn up to games given Spurs’ poor form.

Tottenham freeze season-ticket prices after fan talks

It was revealed earlier today that Tottenham have frozen their season-ticket prices for next season after discussions with various fan groups.

Reports have it that Spurs held talks with the Fan Advisory Board and the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust (THST) regarding the matter before arriving at the decision not to raise prices.

MORE SPURS STORIES

Tottenham fans who have caught wind of the latest reports have now voiced their thoughts regarding the matter.

Taking to social media, one fan said: “Should not be freezing them, should be significantly lowering them”, while another wondered: “No guarantee we will be in the PL next season, so what is the plan for ticket prices then?”

Another had a suggestion for next season’s price, stating: “117 per match, bargain”, while another fan stated: “If we go down there is no way I want to be paying £1500 I currently do!!”

Talk of heading to the Championship continued, with a fan claiming: “They will not sell any at the price they are now in the Championship.”

Another added: “A lot of fans will not renew their season ticket and the club already knows this”, while one other commented: “Should have halved them.”

Meanwhile, a final supporter said: “I suppose it will be the most expensive tickets in the Championship.”

Poor form continues to impact Tottenham finances

Tottenham’s poor league performances in recent seasons are beginning to have a ripple effect on the club’s finances.

With more and more fans choosing to stay home instead of going to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the club continues to lose revenue.

Pape Matar Sarr has lifted the lid on who he believes is Tottenham’s best dribbler, and his answer may raise a few eyebrows among Spurs supporters.

There is definitely a ton of talent in this Tottenham Hotspur squad, and they should be doing better than what the Premier League table suggests.

The talent is there, but bringing it to work together as a team has so far been the struggle for Tottenham in the first half of the season.

However, with new interim boss Igor Tudor at the helm, the hope is that it all finally begins to come together as Spurs look to stay clear of the relegation zone.

Pape Matar Sarr builds his ideal Tottenham player

Pape Matar Sarr, who has featured for Tottenham 17 times in the Premier League this season, scoring two goals and registering three assists in those matches, appeared on the Premier League Uncut programme.

The Senegal international was tasked with building his ultimate footballer using only members of the Tottenham squad.

When asked whose pace he would want his ultimate footballer to have, the 23-year-old was quick to name Micky van de Ven.

MORE SPURS STORIES

For shooting, the injured James Maddison was his pick, while in terms of passing, club captain Cristian Romero was his go-to.

However, when it was time to name the ultimate dribbler, the 23-year-old had a rather surprising pick in Wilson Odobert, overlooking the likes of Mohammed Kudus, Dejan Kulusevski and Xavi Simons.

While for his ultimate defender, he went with Romero once more, before picking Kevin Danso as the physical player he would want his ultimate footballer to take after.

Injuries deny Spurs several stars ahead of Arsenal clash

While the quality is there in this Tottenham team, injuries continue to hinder many of these stars from featuring regularly.

Heading into this weekend’s north London derby, Igor Tudor will not be able to call upon several of the players Pape Matar Sarr had when building his ultimate footballer.

James Maddison, Wilson Odobert and Kevin Danso are all currently sidelined, while Cristian Romero is suspended for the league fixture.