Every word Igor Tudor said on the 'amazing' situation at Tottenham and his angry 'cheat' rant
Here's every single word the Tottenham interim head coach said after the defeat at Fulham on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League
Igor Tudor did not hold back during his press conference after Tottenham's 2-1 defeat at Fulham on Sunday in the Premier League.
Spurs found themselves behind just seven minutes into their latest derby after Harry Wilson hooked home the ball after Conor Gallagher deflected a cross to him at the back post. Spurs were looking for a foul for a Raul Jimenez push on Radu Dragusin but the officials and a VAR check decided that unlike Randal Kolo Muani's ruled out strike last weekend against Arsenal, this was not a push.
There was no debating Fulham's second goal after Alex Iwobi struck a side-footed effort from distance in off the bottom of the left-hand post with all the time in the world to size up his effort as the Spurs players stood off and watched.
The Cottagers had a string of opportunities to extend their lead on either side of the break, but it was Tottenham who hit a goal back in the 66th minute when substitute Mathys Tel dribbled down the left, played in Archie Gray and the 19-year-old picked out Richarlison with a left-footed cross to head home.
Spurs huffed and puffed in the final stages and kicked and threw the ball into the Fulham box, but could only muster one effort into the side-netting from substitute Pape Matar Sarr. Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno was never really tested and Richarlison's goal proved to be their only effort on target all game.
Here's every single word Tudor said at his post-match press conference at Craven Cottage.
What did you make of your team's performance with only one shot on target?
Not enough, not enough. They were better, they deserved to win, nothing is smart to tell you in this moment. We need to forget this game and focus on training tomorrow. Difficult moment, difficult situation, but only way is to come tomorrow on the training and try to do better, better things.
For the first goal, does it look like a foul to you?
Of course it's a foul, I think. Nine out of 10 people will say it's a foul, I believe, because it's so obvious, you know. Sometimes the criteria don't have consistency, last week what happened in our game against Arsenal, same thing, also one situation before, we conceded a goal, they didn't get a foul after they give, so, incredible.
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Did the referee explain why it was given as a goal, as opposed to the one last week?
No, no, no, no, I was too nervous to speak with him, because it's so obvious, you know. Sometimes they don't understand it's enough, even small contact, you know, if it gives you advantage to score the goal, you need to cancel this, finish it. It's not about normal duel when he's soft, no, when he pushes with the hands and don't watch the ball, no. Sometimes it's just easy to get advantage.
So, this is ridiculous to not give the foul, because the consequence is too big. It's not a small foul in the middle of the pitch, it's a goal after. So, there is a logic in that, so the referee, beautiful thing to keep playing here, let's play strong, duel, it's fantastic, I like it.
But there is a logic, if the goal is, because he take advantage, not thinking about football, he was not thinking about the ball, he was thinking how to cheat. So, he cheated the player with pushing and they scored the goal. So, it's a logic, it's a cheating and there's the foul.
It's not the thing of duel and they want that here is a football is more, you know, tough and we like the duels, it's nothing with that. So, there was no logic in this decision and logic is above everything, after come other things.
You said after Arsenal to forget about the match and said it again here, how worrying is it to be saying it again?
No, it's a complicated situation, a lot of problems, I cannot tell you nothing new. Nothing new. We need to find the voices inside each of us, I said to the players, ‘it's always what you're going to do, what you want to do with yourself,’ you know? More personality, more wish to do before reacting, plenty of things and a lot of things. We are lack when we attack, we are lacking of the quality to score the goal, we are lacking in the middle to run and we are lacking behind to stay there to suffer and not concede the goal. So, an amazing situation. Amazing.
Do you want to see more fight from your team?
I want to see everything more, everything more.
It's ten games now without a win, is confidence an issue in the dressing room now?
It's always about, of course it's a confidence problem.
How do you change that?
How we change? Tell me how we change.
Do you reflect on the system you picked, was it the right system?
It's not about system. System is not important at this moment. It's the last thing that is important is system.
If the form doesn't improve, do you think there is a real danger Spurs will be relegated?
I don't want to speak about relegation, but all the time I comment this and I always give the same answer, so I will not respond to the answer. My answer is always the same.
You seem downbeat, you spoke about wanting the team to have a small team mentality?
I was thinking small team in a positive way. Not in a negative way.
Do you think they demonstrated those positive signs today and are they demonstrating them?
The problems are much bigger, the problems are much bigger. It's not enough, it's not enough.
Richarlison came off the bench, is it him and characters like that who can help?
Of course they give something and of course we need that, Pedro also, when Kevin comes inside, personality and quality, so it changes. They bring this of course. This is the key also to have the players who can give this to the team. The team needs, too much players they need the help from each other, so putting together, that's the situation.
Have you quickly realised in these two weeks who you can rely on and who you cannot rely on in this squad?
No, the situation was complicated because we know how many players (are out). Now the players are coming back. One thing is when you have a complete team then you can choose. One situation is when you cannot choose, you know, because you need to choose the quality to score the goal. You need to have quality players to score the goal otherwise you cannot defend all the time, but when you are in a bad moment, you put the players, but then you lack of defending and running and winning the duels.
So, what to do? That's the big question in the future to choose what is right for this team. To find a formula of what we want to be and what we can be in this moment. That’s very difficult to understand, that’s the thing. To understand because you have the quality, but also football is a sport of running and duels. I have a sensation that Fulham players always running and even with the brain. They arrive before us, they predict and we are always late on everything. That’s the problem.
