Football FanCast

Fabrizio Romano has now shared a new update on who could replace Igor Tudor in the dugout, with Tottenham Hotspur eyeing an emergency replacement for the interim manager.

Spurs eyeing Tudor replacement after winless start

After Richarlison rescued a late point for Tottenham at Anfield on Sunday, Tudor insisted he remains fully focused on the task at hand, and has no concerns about his future.

The Croatian said: "I am coaching 15 years, never was thinking one second about my future. I never think about my future, my past, I always think about training tomorrow, how to help the players.

"I don't read nothing, don't watch nothing, future is just imagination, future [doesn't] exist. It's a constant thing of today, of tomorrow, training."

It remains to be seen whether the result buys the interim boss some more time, given that results have been very poor since he was brought in as a replacement for Thomas Frank, with Spurs losing four of their last five matches.

However, ENIC have started making contingency plans, according to a report from Football Insider, which states the board are now eyeing an emergency replacement for Tudor, and the likes of Sean Dyche, Harry Redknapp and Glenn Hoddle have been under consideration.

Fabrizio Romano has since dropped a further update on Tottenham's interest in former Marseille manager Roberto De Zerbi, saying:

"De Zerbi could eventually be an option already immediately, but what I can tell you is that De Zerbi is, was a top target for Tottenham, but at the moment, Roberto De Zerbi is still not keen on taking a job now in the middle of the season.

"That’s something that Roberto De Zerbi at this stage, from what I am told, doesn’t want to do. So, let’s see what’s going to happen next, maybe in the summer. I am sure there is going to be plenty of interest."

De Zerbi could be ideal summer appointment

In truth, it is unsurprising the Italian is unwilling to take over as Tottenham boss at the moment, given the situation they find themselves in, sitting just one point above the Premier League relegation zone despite picking up a decent point at Anfield on Sunday.

And Sunday's opposing manager has high praise for the Italian, claiming he is one of the best managers in football and urging big clubs to consider hiring him.

“I regard him as one of the best managers in the world. In my opinion, it should not always be judged on the amount of trophies you win, it should also be judged on the fact of how you let your team play. I think he is already working at a very big club because Marseille is a very big club, at the moment and history-wise as well.

“I'm not the one that is hiring coaches but if I was one, he would definitely be very high on a list if I worked at a big club. I always like to watch his teams.” - Arne Slot on Roberto De Zerbi

The 46-year-old already has experience in England, having spent just over two years at Brighton, with the Seagulls qualifying for the Europa League courtesy of a sixth-place finish in the 2022-23 campaign.

The ex-Brighton boss later went on to do a solid job at Marseille, averaging 1.81 points per game in the role and qualifying for the Champions League via finishing second last season.

De Zerbi could be an exciting appointment for Tottenham this summer, but bringing in a manager capable of making a short-term impact in relegation battles could be a savvy move before then, considering Tudor has made a very poor start.

It may not be much but perhaps, at last, there is light at the end of the tunnel for this Tottenham Hotspur team.

After winning the Europa League last season and hiring a new manager, there was great hope that Spurs would, well, stop being Spursy.

That, however, has not changed. Not even a year after that continental showpiece, the Lilywhites are on their third manager in the space of barely 12 months.

How quickly things change, eh? The Igor Tudor reign had started disastrously and after that 5-2 defeat against Atletico, the Croat looked like a dead man walking.

His position looked untenable until a 1-1 draw with Liverpool. It shouldn't do much to paper over the crack but it bought the interim boss some time.

It's time that didn't look likely when another goalkeeper error threatened to derail Spurs again.

Spurs goalkeepers continue to be a problem

In midweek Tudor made the incredibly bold call to drop Guglielmo Vicario from the starting lineup. This would be a big call regardless of the time of year or opposition but considering he was handing Antonin Kinsky his Champions League debut and in Madrid no less, it felt like a seismic moment.

Unfortunately for Tudor, a 17 minute period of hell played out in which Spurs went 3-0 down after two horrendous mistakes by the goalkeeper.

Not even the most brutal of Spurs fans would have predicted what was to follow. The manager subbed him off without even a quarter of the game gone.

For Vicario, he knew his place was now safe but that did little to help his performance at Anfield on Sunday night.

Dominik Szoboszlai has been the free-kick king of the Premier League and he duly banged home his fourth of the campaign at the weekend.

Still, he did so with a little help from Tottenham's Italian calamity between the sticks. Szoboszlai's free-kick was by no means in the corner but Vicario, in his desperate attempts to stop the ball, rather made a fool of himself flailing at the shot when he could and should have got a stronger hand do it.

So, it was another nightmare in the Spurs goal but thankfully for them it did not undo them too bad. A late equaliser from Richarlison rescued a precious point in the battle to beat the drop.

Spurs defender is letting his teammates down

Tudor's team headed to Merseyside without 14 first-team players, largely due to injury. For Spurs to ever get relegated you feel the stars have to align and that is what is occuring this term.

Everything has to go wrong and it seemingly is. They cannot keep a consistent group of players fit and most importantly, aren't exactly playing very good football.

At the centre of their woes over the last few years has been the defence. Remember that game when Spurs were camped on their own half way line during the Ange Postecoglou days? It's hard to forget.

Well, Frank did initially made them more organised. Tottenham notably kept five clean sheets in their first seven games of the season but it was all down hill from there.

Now, the Londoners are without a Premier League shutout since the 0-0 with Burnley right at the beginning of 2026. It's safe to say the defence is a mess and nothing epitomised that more than what occured in that room that night.

While you can excuse a patched together Spurs backline given the volume of injuries they have, you cnnot excuse the performance of the captain on the day, Pedro Porro.

This has arguably been the Spaniard's worst term at the club since signing. He has started 24 of the 30 league matches and has missed matches with regular intervals.

Previously linked with a return to Manchester City, that transfer feels like a rather long way away now, particularly when taking into account the display he delivered on Sunday.

Fielded at right-back with the young Souza ahead of him, it was not a great night for Spain international at all who was run ragged by Rio Ngumoha.

With Max Dowman scoring for Arsenal and Ngumoha starting for the Reds, it was certainly a day for the teenagers but that was not muisc to the ears of Porro.

He will likely go to bed having nightmares of the day before with the young Liverpool winger terrorising poor Porro all game long. Several times the Reds academy graduate got the better of him, attempting a whopping seven dribbles and winning every single one of them, per Sofascore.

Six of those dribbles were up against Porro who was left in the dust on several occasions by the 17-year-old who was on fire out on the left wing.

To make matters, Spurs' captain for the day won just one of his nine duels. To put it bluntly, this was a performance right out of the Radu Dragusin playbook, out of the Vicario playbook. Essentiall, you've sadly become a liability to the football club.

For several years now, Dragusin has been delivering below par performance and despite there being so many players out injured, he does not look fit to wear the shirt.

Porro might not be quite as disastrous as that at the back, but his sad regression has been rather remarkable.

With Archie Gray coming through the ranks and Djed Spence so often preffered on the left, now is the time to invest in their futures on the right over Porro. They may well be raw but it simply cannot get any worse right now.

A draw. At long last, Igor Tudor has his first point in charge of Tottenham Hotspur.

This has been a dark week for Spurs, a really dark week, and that's putting it lightly. That defeat to Atletico Madrid last Tuesday was riddled with errors and it marked the nadir of their recent history.

The Lilywhites had lost six games on the spin for the first time in the entire club's history but they finally showed some fight when they travelled to Anfield on Sunday afternoon.

Through Richarlison, Tudor's men rescued a point as the Brazilian bundled the ball home after good work from substitute Randal Kolo Muani.

The performance was not a great one again but this is, at least, something to build upon.

How Spurs drew with Liverpool

If Arne Slot's side could pick anyone in the Premier League to play right now it would be Spurs.

The north Londoners travelled to Merseyside riddled with injury and were missing as many as 14 first-team players, either through injury or suspension in Micky van de Ven's case.

Therefore, this had to be a collective effort and at long, long last, they put in a spirited display. Of course, all of their problems will not evaporate with this point but they did not look like a team in free fall for once.

Whether your find a way to praise Spurs for that or criticise Liverpool is very much up for debate.

Tudor's side so easily could have collapsed too. While they were not 3-0 down after 20 minutes as they were in Europe, they were 1-0 down after just 18 minutes. Dominik Szoboszlai's free-kick found the net when really, Guglielmo Vicario should have stopped it.

From that moment, the game could have got away from them quickly after the debacle in Madrid.

However, it was anything but plain sailing for Liverpool against a patched up Spurs backline. Slot's men could have should have still won the game but Tottenham did not disgrace themselves.

It took a batch of subs to make them truly dangerous, though. In particular, Kolo Muani helped changed the game when his late run towards the penalty box ended up with the ball at Richarlison's feet.

The Brazilian had been getting grief from the Anfield crowd right throughout the game due to his affiliation with Everton but he ended up having the last laugh.

All of Spurs' problems will not go away with this result but the foundations have been laid for brighter times. Tudor will, however, need to make a few alterations to his team.

Where Tudor needs to change his team

Despite Vicario's error at the weekend, it is unlikely that Antonin Kinsky will be thrown into the limelight so soon after his error-stricken display against Atletico.

That said, the defence should look a lot better against Madrid in a few days where Van de Ven will return while it's likely Cristian Romero will also return after missing this one with concussion.

In attack, however, it does look as though Tudor is finally stumbling on a formula and it may not include club-record signing, Dominic Solanke.

The English centre-forward was a huge miss to Thomas Frank when he was absent for the vast majority of the opening half of the campaign and has been a rare shining light in dark times of late. He scored against Crystal Palace and Atleti in midweek and who could forget that scorpion kick goal either? Yet, he endured a pretty rough time of it on this occasion.

Indeed, it was when Kolo Muani came on that they finally looked a threat, the Frenchman linking up well with Richarlison for the goal. The Frenchman has had a distinctly average time of it since joining on loan last summer and was one of the sacrifical lambs when Kinsky was sent off in midweek.

This time around, he looks like a genuine threat and a player with more legs and energy than Solanke. For that reason, he should start in the return leg against Atletico in a few days time.

As for Solanke, he really did struggle against Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk. He registered just 30 touches, 16 fewer than Vicario and made just ten passes at a completion rate of only 63%. He lost possession ten times from all of that.

His influence on the game was so thin that not only did he fail to supply any of his teammates with a key pass while the 28-year-old also failed to have a single shot at goal.

While a front three of Matys Tel, Kolo Muani and Richarlison hardly worked in Europe a few days ago, they must return to that setup when Diego Simeone's men come to town. The three of them were perhaps Tottenham's only bright sparks on Sunday and should be rewarded for showing a rare ounce of fight in a collectively abject season for Spurs.

Tottenham Hotspur face Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday, and Igor Tudor only has half a squad.

Four matches (in the league) isn't a long run for a manager to implement their vision, but Spurs don't exactly have much time to put things to rights. Micky van de Ven labelled this situation a "Doomsday scenario".

For many fans, there's surely something apocalyptic about Tottenham's staggering, startling collapse, with the Londoners stripped back to the bare bones as they look to stave off the threat of relegation.

The latest Spurs injury news

Tottenham are threadbare as they prepare to take on last year's champions. Liverpool have hardly been in good nick this season, but the severity of Spurs' injury crisis has eliminated any hope of securing a result on Merseyside.

Tudor is at risk of being dismissed from his interim post, but the fact that the board are waiting until the weekend has passed says much of the club's strategy and the acceptance that this storm of fitness concerns needs to be endured.

Van de Ven didn't help matters when he got himself sent off against Crystal Palace last week. The Dutchman has probably been Tottenham's star man this season, but his reckless lunge on Ismaila Sarr gave the Eagles a route back into the game, and the malaise deepened.

Complicating things, Cristian Romero and Joao Palhinha will sit this one out after clashing heads in the defeat at Atletico Madrid, out due to concussion protocols.

All told, 13 first-team players could miss the trip, and with Yves Bissouma out due to injury and Conor Gallagher down with a fever, and in the absence of midfield options, Tudor could make a tweak and unleash a struggling star in a new role.

Tudor must unleash Spurs forward in new role

Tottenham are going to be up against it at Anfield, but Tudor can help set the seeds for more stable and confident performances over the final few months of the campaign by getting a tune out of Xavi Simons, who has struggled since joining Tottenham from RB Leipzig for around £51m last summer.

Simons, 22, is one of the most talented playmakers in Europe, and the Londoners consider him to be a "potential superstar", according to journalist Graeme Bailey, but there's no denying he's found it tough in north London, with content creator Ronaldo Brown remarking several months ago that he's been "swallowed in the Prem", too uncertain on the ball and lacking impetus when part of the attack.

However, context is important, and the enormity of Tottenham's conundrum has sucked the life from these players, all of whom have more to give.

Even amid his struggles, elements of Simons' game have shone through, demonstrating why, as an attacking midfielder, he was compared to Christian Eriksen when he arrived.

For an attacking midfielder, he wins his fair share of duels, getting stuck in from a defensive standpoint. Of course, he's at his best when deployed in an attacking berth, thrust in front of the centre circle, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and this could help remodel Spurs' depleted midfield while retaining some of the creativity that has proved so elusive throughout the season.

And it's not like he's incapable of making things happen himself, with deft feet and a willingness to take on responsibility that has admittedly waned over the months at Tottenham.

While Simons doesn't have the skillset to replace someone like Palhinha, he could play the box-to-box role against a Liverpool midfield who have left a lot to be desired this season, and maybe it could start a positive trend for the business months of this tricky campaign.

Tottenham Hotspur are going to get relegated from the Premier League with Igor Tudor in the dugout. The board must swallow their pride and dismiss their pick to replace Thomas Frank one month ago, with the relegation zone a stone's throw away from north London.

The Croatian, who has previously managed teams such as Juventus and Marseille, has not had a good effect on the struggling side, who are in real bother near the bottom of the league ladder.

While Tudor is expected to lead the Lilywhites out for Sunday's Premier League clash against Liverpool at Anfield, there's little question that change is expected in the coming days, providing the outfit with fresh impetus and a route out of the danger that threatens to consume them.

The latest on Igor Tudor's Spurs future

Tottenham's fall-off has been staggering, but there is no hiding from the reality of the situation any longer. Responsibility must be taken for the failure of Tudor's appointment, and with that, his dismissal, before it is too late.

The potential of dismissing Tudor and sending the club into an even more dizzying spiral will be playing on the minds of the powers that be, but there is an option who could be the perfect pick to lift Tottenham back up.

As per TEAMtalk, ENIC Group have compiled a list of candidates to replace the interim boss, and that list is headed by Robbie Keane, with the Ferencvaros manager the frontrunner to take the reins for the remainder of the season.

The 45-year-old would prefer to take the job on a long-term basis, but he understands the precarious position Tottenham are in and would be willing to step in and close the door on his project in Hungary to guide the Londoners to safety.

Why Keane would save Spurs from relegation

Tottenham are in danger, but if placed in the right system, they have the (fit) players to make a positive difference. Keane understands the club and the Premier League, and in that, he could be the perfect pick to put things to rights.

His expertise as an attacker at the club could finally get some fluency out of the attacking system, fronted by Dominic Solanke.

With Ferencvaros, Keane has established himself as an adaptable manager whose ethos centres around focused attacking play. Former Premier League star Nigel Reo Coker has hailed his "fantastic" work with the outfit. Moreover, his man management skills have drawn praise, eager to get the best out of individual qualities, rather than creating a unit that is uniform in style, mimicking his own approach as a player.

Of course, Solanke will need those around him to step up, with Spurs among the most ineffective creative outfits in the Premier League this season. That has been one of the cruxes of this disastrous season, and it could send them into the second tier.

Expected Goals (xG) is a metric designed to measure the probability of a shot resulting in a goal.

But Keane has demonstrated an aptitude for creating and sustaining a secure tactical system, with an aggressive edge that would suit Solanke's physicality to a tee.

As well as having the capacity to score dazzling goals, Solanke is also a dynamic forward, skilled in link-up play. Moreover, he is deceptively fast, and Keane could utilise that profile to finally create some semblance of fluency across the frontline.

Versatile in setting up his formation, Keane might be at the start of his managerial journey, but he's got plenty to offer and would surely prove an upgrade on the hapless Tudor.

Solanke, 28, is in the prime of his career and has responded well over the past few months after coming back from injury, six goals from only 15 appearances across all competitions this term.

A solution is needed, and this could be the right one to bring Spurs back onto higher ground.

Igor Tudor's position in the Tottenham Hotspur dugout is anything but secure, and it looks like the interim head coach is going to be sacked in the aftermath of Sunday's trip to Anfield in the Premier League.

The Croatian coach was only drafted in a month ago, but Spurs have fallen deeper into a hole since sacking Thomas Frank. The players have failed to respond to Tudor's tactics, drawing criticism from pundits such as Stephen Warnock, who believes he has "lost the changing room".

Tottenham will be up against it on Sunday, but the board are potentially looking ahead to next weekend, when Nottingham Forest will come to N17 in a Premier League six-pointer. A lot rides on that match.

However, the managerial market isn't exactly bustling right now.

The latest on Spurs' search for a Tudor replacement

Tottenham are heading back into the market for another head coach, just one month after appointing crisis specialist Tudor.

Pickings are slim, but Tottenham have placed Ferencvaros boss Robbie Keane at the top of their shortlist, with the one-time Spurs striker keen on the idea of coming home.

That's according to TEAMtalk, but Fabrizio Romano has chipped in to confirm that sporting director Johan Lange has his eye on a number of options, with the unemployed Roberto De Zerbi said to be the "dream candidate".

Manchester United are interested in appointing De Zerbi, who was sacked by Marseille last month, at the end of the season, so convincing him to move to N17 this month will be difficult, but Tottenham are in dire straits and will consider the benefits of presenting a compelling offer for a manager who could steer them away from danger.

Why De Zerbi would be perfect for Spurs

Tottenham fan groups have called for emergency action as the prospect of relegation looms large, and if ENIC Group were to convince De Zerbi that the risk is worth taking, they would secure a proven coach who could steer them away from danger before building a special project over a number of years.

In that, the Italian could become the London club's own version of Jurgen Klopp, who took the reins at a Liverpool team who had fallen by the wayside and lifted them back into the limelight.

De Zerbi has yet to have his 'big break', taking charge at a club at the top of Europe. Tottenham, candidly, are not that club, but they could be, with the infrastructure and pull to return to the Champions League and compete for silverware each year.

That future feels like it's a million miles away, but De Zerbi is a fiery personality with a "unique" tactical mind, as Manchester City's Pep Guardiola had said of his tactics when at the helm at Brighton.

Typically implementing a fluid 4-3-3 formation, De Zerbi certainly has a certain Klopp-like quality about him, front-footed and steeped in possession-focused football.

Klopp was a proponent of gegenpressing, of course, but they both have clear and distinctive approaches and hunger for goals and dominance in the final third.

One thing is for sure: Tottenham would stand a far better chance with De Zerbi taking Tudor's position, inspiring belief and confidence in the beleaguered players while reshaping a confusing tactical set-up.

With 70 Premier League matches under his belt, the 46-year-old is not quite as experienced as others, but he's impressed in England before and led Brighton from relegation danger into midtable, shaping them into one of the sharpest outfits in the country.

De Zerbi is one of the leading managers in the world, and though he might have reservations about taking over at a Tottenham side who are in such an imperilled position, he may also relish the chance to make himself a hero and lead this side back to glory, emulating Klopp at Liverpool.

Tottenham Hotspur are now racing Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal to sign an "outstanding" set-piece specialist this summer.

Tudor: Tottenham can "cry or fight" for Premier League survival

Igor Tudor hasn't held back since arriving at Tottenham. The Croatian knows what's at risk and has often spoken with plenty of intent, only to watch on as his side continue to suffer defeat after defeat.

A 5-2 demolishing at the hands of Atletico Madrid just about summed things up, with Antonin Kinsky enduring a 17-minute horror show before he was hauled off in humiliating fashion.

Tudor initially made the change to drop out-of-form goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, before his second choice made things even worse. There was simply no winning for the interim boss in midweek.

Despite reports that defeat at Liverpool could signal the end of his reign on Sunday, however, Tudor is not giving up. He told reporters earlier this week that Tottenham can either cry or they can fight to retain their top flight status.

"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."

In amongst the chaos of Tudor's failure, and their managerial search which has seen the likes of Robbie Keane name-dropped, Spurs are also planning for a busy summer transfer window. Even with their Premier League place at risk, they've got their eye on a set-piece specialist.

Tottenham racing to sign in-demand Kayode

The Premier League deals in the currency of set pieces these days. That's why Arsenal, the richest side in this brand new economy, are on course to become champions and why Michael Kayode is a man in demand.

According to reports in Italy, Tottenham are now racing to sign Kayode alongside Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal this summer. The four teams have set their sights on the defender, who arguably provides the greatest long-throw threat in English football, if not Europe.

As the Premier League turns to long throws, interest in the £40,000-a-week right-back was always likely and Keith Andrews has been aware of his ability all season long.

The Brentford boss told reporters last month: "He plays with such maturity, and you’re right, I’ve said this for quite a while, it wouldn’t be correct if anybody just assessed Michael and focused on his long throw, that’s just one part of his game.

"He’s constantly evolving his game, defensively he’s outstanding, absolutely outstanding, the way he deals with opposition wingers of a high level on a weekly basis."

Tottenham Hotspur are now dreaming of hiring a replacement for Igor Tudor, whose job will be under serious threat if he does not get a result against Liverpool.

Tottenham "actively working" on Tudor replacements

Sat one point above the dropzone and yet to win a game after four attempts under Tudor, Tottenham are now "actively working" on finding their next manager, according to the Athletic's David Ornstein.

Just who that next manager will be remains the big question. The likes of Harry Redknapp have made sure that those in North London know exactly where they stand just in case they receive a shock call, whilst Robbie Keane has also been a prominent name among recent rumours.

Whether Keane would step away from Ferencvaros for an interim spell could be the sticking point for all parties. Tottenham, in such a precarious situation, may not be quick to make a permanent decision until the end of the season.

Whoever does arrive could turn up with the club inside the bottom three with just eight games to go. Should the Lilywhites fail to beat Liverpool and other results do not go their way, then they will be staring down the barrel of relegation.

It would spell the ultimate disaster for a club that ended their trophy drought by winning the Europa League less than a year ago. But Tudor's arrival could prove to be one poor decision too many unless those in North London manage to land their dream replacement in the coming weeks.

Tottenham dreaming of hiring Roberto De Zerbi

As reported by Fabrizio Romano, Tottenham would "love" to hire Roberto De Zerbi to replace Tudor and the former Marseille manage remains their dream, long-term target.

"If there is a dream candidate for Tottenham now, it’s Roberto De Zerbi. He’s seen as the ideal candidate for the Tottenham job.

"Tottenham would love to hire De Zerbi, but at the moment, this depends on several things and it’s not easy. But the name of De Zerbi is a name we should always keep in the dream targets for Tottenham as manager." (Romano)

Of course, if Spurs were at least pushing towards mid-table comfort, then De Zerbi could jump at the chance to join. Now that they're fighting relegation, however, it could be a different story.

Dubbed "one of the most influential managers of the last 20 years" by Pep Guardiola, it's easy to see why Spurs want to hire De Zerbi. The 4-2-3-1 manager transformed Brighton & Hove Albion into a European club for a brief moment and would take the Lilywhites back to similar heights.

Whilst convincing him to join right now may be a hefty task, it should be top of Tottenham's priority list if they survive this summer.

Under-fire Igor Tudor has told Tottenham players to not be “victims” and to ignore outside noise in a desperate bid to rally his low-on-confidence squad for Sunday’s trip to Liverpool.

Tottenham lining up replacements if Tudor loses at Liverpool

Pressure ramped up on interim head coach Tudor after Spurs slipped to a 5-2 loss at Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday following a shambolic opening where back-up goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky made two disastrous errors.

Kinsky was substituted after only 17 minutes but Tudor watched Tottenham lose again to make it four defeats in a row to start his tenure, which is a first in the club’s history and the six consecutive losses they have suffered this year is also a record.

“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,” Tudor insisted.

“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 b*******, all the other things are b******* and sorry to use this word, but it’s on us.

“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 these other b*******, you know. So this is about what I want to send a message.”

Captain Cristian Romero and Joao Palhinha will miss the trip to Anfield, adding to the defensive problems with Micky van de Ven suspended and Yves Bissouma also ruled out.

And David Ornstein revealed on Friday that the club are already lining up replacements should Tudor suffer another humiliation at Anfield, where Spurs have not won since 2011.

Tudor not the only one at Spurs facing the sack

According to Tottenham insider John Wenham, there could be mass changes at boardroom level this summer.

Indeed, Johan Lange is now under pressure following the departure of Fabio Paratici, while ex-Arsenal chief Vinai Venkatesham could also depart, with their powers absorbed into one all-seeing role.

That role could be handed to former Crystal Palace director Dougie Freedman, who earned praise for his work in building a talented squad under a restricted budget at Selhurst Park before moving to Saudi Arabia, where he is currently the sporting director of Al-Diriyah.

“Johan Lange is under huge amounts of pressure.

“A lot of talk online about maybe him going in the summer already, Sami Mokbel did a piece saying that Tottenham were looking at Dougie Freedman to come in, highly regarded for his work at Crystal Palace, he’s now with a team in the Saudi League.

“If he were to come in as the director of football, although they could say it would be him and Lange together, I could very quickly see Lange being sort of sidelined.

"Vinai Venkatesham has also come in for huge amounts of scrutiny and pressure, and the ownership board might think, in the summer, let’s bring in Dougie Freedman.

“Let’s have a clean break from Vinai and Lange and try and get fans back on side because they desperately need to do something.” - Wenham, talking to Tottenham Hotspur News

Venkatesham was not a popular appointment back in April of last year due to his connections with the Gunners, and has done little to calm supporters since, admitting this week the club will have to operate on a sell-to-buy basis in the coming transfer windows to avoid Financial Fair Play difficulties.

Tottenham Hotspur are in a rut, but they have more than enough quality to stave off the threat of relegation from the Premier League and rediscover that confidence levels that have evaporated across the course of the season.

And yet, this is an unprecedented situation for the north Londoners, who have never been more imperilled and have any number of issues that no one has been able to find a solution for.

Time is running out. Spurs are now staring down the barrel of a gun, and they need to find some points from somewhere, with relegation rivals Nottingham Forest and West Ham United both in better nick, even a point behind as they both are.

The big question, then, is if Igor Tudor is the right man to lead Spurs forward over the business months of the campaign.

Why Spurs should sack Igor Tudor

Since replacing Thomas Frank on an interim basis one month ago, Tudor's tenure has been a disaster. Tottenham have lost all four matches in the Premier League, with the error-strewn defeat against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League adding insult to injury.

It feels like the Croatian, 47, has failed to rouse the rabble. Cristian Romero is back from suspension, but the Lilywhites lost Micky van de Ven during their home defeat to Crystal Palace last week, and the irreplaceable Dutchman will miss Sunday's trip to Anfield.

In fact, pundit Stephen Warnock has said that he has "lost the changing room", and if Tottenham want to avoid relegation, they may need to wipe the slate clean once again.

Who to appoint, though, in his stead? Pickings are slim, and no mistake, but TEAMtalk reveal that Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe, long admired by the Londoners, could be the perfect pick, should several variables fall into the right places.

This is conditional. Former Newcastle United Director Amanda Staveley, who led the charge as a Saudi-backed consortium purchased the St. James' Park club in 2021, is mooted to be interested in bidding for Tottenham, and her consortium would look to place the English coach in the dugout. The cost of such a takeover would be a mammoth £3billion.

Howe's future at the Magpies helm is by no means secure, but he's done exceptional work in recent years and could be the perfect project manager to bring Spurs back into the limelight.

Why Howe would be perfect for Spurs

Howe's Newcastle are enduring a tricky season, but there's no question that his time at the Toon helm has been sensational, lifting the club back into the ascendancy and keeping them there.

Newcastle are now regular European competitors, having spent two of the past three campaigns in the Champions League.

The chances of Howe becoming Tottenham manager this season are negligible. However, this could become a reality if things gather pace, and that would likely require clarity in regard to Spurs' precarious position in the Premier League.

In any case, Howe would be an upgrade on Tudor, whose tactics and methods have raised no shortage of questions so far this season, leaving most of a Lilywhites persuasion hoping he will be sacked just one month after his appointment.

Hailed for his "special" success on Tyneside by Newcastle reporter Sean McCormick, Howe's record on Tyneside speaks for itself, turning the Magpies into one of the Premier League's most formidable outfits.

That, of course, is without even mentioning the Carabao Cup title that Howe secured last season, Newcastle defeating Liverpool at Wembley to lift the trophy.

Compared to Howe, Tudor's managerial accomplishments pale in comparison. Moreover, Howe has a wealth of experience in the English game, and he knows what it means to weather adversity and challenge for European places, also battling for form lower down the ladder.

It's unlikely that the Croatian will even fulfil his interim contract at Tottenham, much less earn a full-time job in the dugout of this sinking ship.

Tottenham may be in trouble right now, but if they can salvage something from this season, the knock-on effect might just lead to someone like Howe taking over and turning things around.