Here's every single word the Tottenham Hotspur interim head coach said ahead of Sunday's trip to Liverpool in the Premier League
Igor Tudor delivered a passionate, X-rated press conference as his future hangs in the balance ahead of Tottenham's Premier League match at Liverpool on Sunday.
The 47-year-old has lost all four of his opening games in charge with the threat of relegation very real as they lie just a point above 18th-placed West Ham and Nottingham Forest in 17th spot. On Sunday Spurs will travel to Anfield, a destination where points rarely come back with the Lilywhites, while the Hammers host title chasers Manchester City on Saturday evening and Forest welcome Fulham on Sunday afternoon.
Tudor delivered an update on Cristian Romero and Joao Palhinha after their clash of heads in the 5-2 Champions League defeat at Atletico Madrid as well as the latest on Destiny Udogie. He also spoke about goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky following his difficult night in Spain, which saw him substituted after just 16 minutes following a couple of major errors.
Our Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold was among those putting the questions to Tudor. Here's the full transcript from the press conference at Hotspur Way.
How tough has this week been?
Tough, for sure. Not just because of last game, but because of the period and the past. Not easy situation, not an easy moment and from other side a big challenge to change things. Like everything in life, you can choose how to see the situation. So, you can stay and cry or you can fight. You can be the victim or you can say I can change something. This is the message I want to start and what I told to the players.
Everyone speaking, everyone has opinions and the life is always how you see it. The bottle is always half empty or half full. Here there is nothing full, there is a lot of empty things but difficult moments don’t last forever. It will pass and I believe the players who will take this as a challenge, as an opportunity will stand up with the courage to change things, after this period they will become better people and better players.
So, in tough moments it’s always about that, it’s always about us. In the last period, a lot of things about what is the club, the problems, no one can do nothing and this like victim-ism, like we were victims. I said this morning to the players totally opposition things. We are the team and we are the staff. It’s all about us. All the bullsh**, all the other things are bullsh** and sorry to use this word, but it’s on us.
Are players listening to this approach?
You know, I do every day this work. Psychology work. It is important also to give the courage to the team-mates. Some of them they cannot manage, for sure. Somewhere you arrive and you can help them. My goal is to find if I can help to do 18 players out of 20, 15? I don't know how much? Sometimes you cannot do anything, but most of the time you can do even small changes. Small help, you know, you can do it, but also it's what I always like to say to the players, don't be a victim. Don't think it's not about me. You know that can be the problem more than all these things about Tottenham and club, you know, like magic on the club, like bad black magic and this other bullsh**, you know. So this is about what I want to send a message.
That is your message to the players?
To everyone involved with this club.
To the owners?
The ownership is the ownership. The club is there. The owner is the owner. They are always right and they do what they want with the club. It is always like that but the problems are of everyone. Not just the player or the coach or the staff it is everyone’s problem.
Have you spoken to the hierarchy over the last few days?
I speak with the director and Vinai everyday. We are speaking and sharing opinions.
Do they share your frustrations?
Everyone is disappointed. This is for sure. The players care. If you don’t care, you don’t struggle. Then you are not in the lack of confidence if you don’t care. You care and then it happens that maybe some situations there is a lack of confidence in situations on the pitch that usually don’t happen. That can also be an explanation.
Micky van de Ven said it has been a 'terrible period' after the defeat to Atletico. How concerned are you about the mental health of your players?
We are trying to help them and provide everything we can from the club. Like I was speaking before, there is the one point. The other point is it is part of the job to be under stress and chose what you want to do. As I said at the start, the same answer I gave to your colleague I can use it here, so it’s not easy but all good things are not easy. Message in the training (sessions) is the same. Always when we do some difficult things that is the message. The right and the best things are not easy.
Antonin Kinsky had a tough night. Do you have any hesitation about playing him again this season?
No, of course he will play [this season] for sure. He came back the day after and was very good in training. Positive. Nothing else. So this situation happened, very rare, probably the first and last time in my life and the life of a lot of people but this can happen. It is the same message I said before. You can go out from the situation as a victim. ‘Poor me what happened.’ Everybody sending a message of help and I am with you. This is nice also.
Sometimes 2025 this social media life became like it is more important what you say than what you do. But as I said before, this is normal, this is a mistake that will happen. For sure in his career there will be other mistakes but he has a strength and quality and in front of him is a very good career.
Are Palhinha and Romero back for Liverpool?
No, no, no, they are out. Micky is also out, Bissouma is out, for the muscles. Conor has some fever but probably will be in. So, we have again a lot of problems to make first 11. This is how it is in this club. this happen all the time. We start to build something, then happens something, or a red card, or last game, or three or four injuries.
This is very rare that happens in my career. I never see these situations. Every game, missing two players. The next game and a red card. It's very rare, very unusual, but we need to accept this. And try to change the things you can change. On these things you cannot do nothing.
Who is finding the situation most difficult?
Everyone. Everyone finds it difficult, if you want to find it difficult, and challenging if you want to find challenges. So, to give measures, how much is one or two or three, that's not the point.
The situation, how is it? You need to see how you will look on this situation. Like in life. In life, you can be happy with small things, or you can be unhappy and have almost everything.
So, it's not about that. Life is about what is enough for you. You choose that. Football is also part of the life. So how you will see the situation, you choose.”
Who can you lean on within the club?
We are everyone together. I don't see any issues in that direction you go. We are everyone together. We speak, we work, we try to change things. Everything is the things we are doing, doing in the right way.
You mentioned Palhinha and Romero out this weekend. Is that with concussion? And if it is, can they come back for Nottingham Forest at home?
I don't know how much. I think they will be back for sure for Nottingham Forest, maybe even for the Champions League.
So it's not concussion then?
I don't know exactly. They probably will be back.
(Spurs confirmed that Romero and Palhinha are undergoing concussion protocols and will continue to be assessed under them following the Liverpool game)
Can I ask about some of the other injuries that you are still waiting to get back, like Destiny Udogie, Lucas Bergvall, Mohammed Kudus and Dejan Kulusevski? Any sign of any of those coming back?
Destiny almost back. That's all.
Forest?
Destiny? Yeah, for sure..
I was going to check on your assistant as well, Ivan Javorcic, who you are waiting to arrive. Any progress in getting him in?
No, no.
I mean, how difficult has that been, because he's someone that you're so used to having by your side?
Yeah, he's missing, but it's just how it is, because you need to be patient.
Is this one of those things you talk about, that you can't be a victim in this situation?
You need to accept. Accept the things.
Archie Gray, he's been playing a lot of minutes for you in lots of different positions, what have you made of him?
That's the problem. He needs to, every game, change the position, tomorrow again. Four games here, four positions for Archie Gray. He's an amazing player, but that's been that. Something's wrong. Beautiful guy, beautiful player. I didn't know him before so much, so from inside, he has my big respect.
Was Vicario dropped for that match in Madrid, or was it just rotation?
So I can explain that situation, what was the idea. The idea was to make [Kinsky] play, because first of all, he's a good goalkeeper, and seeing the situation and the moment we are, for a long period, to give some freshness on the ball, even in a different competition. So it was the idea at the start, but not after what happened, you think it was the right thing to do.
Before, it was the right thing to do. Then what happened happened, then of course it's a little bit different.
Do you expect Vicario to come back in, and how is he from the point of view?
He's good, he's good. He'll be in the goal.
You've got a lot of noise around your future, do you still feel that you're the best man to get Tottenham out of this situation?
It's not a topic that I'm thinking about.
