Liverpool - Tottenham: Tudor is a serious mistake for Spurs

Igor Tudor is sitting on a "hot seat" at Tottenham as the team is close to the "red zone." The 47-year-old coach has suffered 4 consecutive losses within 25 days since his appointment.

After the heavy defeat against Atletico Madrid, Tottenham's hopes for advancing in the Champions League have nearly collapsed. However, the situation in the Premier League is the most urgent issue. The crucial thing for Tottenham now is to avoid an unbelievable scenario: falling out of England's top league for the first time since 1977.

Tottenham faces the risk of relegation

Currently, Tottenham is ranked 16th and is only 1 point ahead of West Ham, which is in the "red zone," standing at 18th place with 28 points. However, West Ham has won 2 and drawn 2 in their last 5 Premier League matches, while Tottenham has suffered a losing streak of 5 matches (3 of those under Coach Tudor). The prospect of Tottenham being pushed into the relegation battle by West Ham is entirely possible.

Commentator John Murray said on BBC Radio 5 Live: "From a football perspective, this is a real crisis that Tottenham is facing."

One of the factors that led Tottenham to appoint Igor Tudor was their high regard for his ability to improve teams quickly, which he demonstrated at several clubs, including Juventus.

Tudor even received a formal contract from Juventus after helping the team secure a Champions League spot, thanks to a streak of only 1 loss in 9 matches at the end of the 2024/25 season. However, so far he has not achieved any similar impact in North London.

Former Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson said on BBC Radio 5 Live that Tudor "was not the right choice from the start" and emphasized: "For Tottenham, this is the wrong person and the wrong timing. You look at the players' performance and see it. The minimum requirement is maximum effort. The attitude and focus are not there. They are not playing for the coach."

Igor Tudor is Tottenham's mistake

The atmosphere in Tottenham's locker room is described as very tense. Football London reports that Coach Tudor's efforts to enforce discipline have backfired; some players feel disrespected, and others feel mocked.

Antonio Conte came to Tottenham with a similarly strict style, trying to motivate the players. But Conte had authority, prestige, and a glorious track record. Tudor does not have that.

Tudor's latest mistake is the goalkeeper story involving Antonin Kinsky and Guglielmo Vicario. The decision to drop Vicario, who is popular in the locker room, and then have Kinsky perform disastrously certainly did not improve Tudor's standing. Tottenham collapsed within just 22 minutes in Madrid, partly due to the goalkeeper's lack of confidence and partly because players kept slipping on the wet pitch.

Former Tottenham coach Tim Sherwood even accused Tudor of "adding fuel to the fire" and stated: "He (Tudor) is not providing any encouragement to the players."

"He is like a firefighter holding a gasoline can, pouring fuel on the fire instead of restoring the players' confidence," Tim Sherwood added.

Tottenham needs a coach who can manage people and restore team confidence, but Tudor is showing he is not that model. After Tottenham's loss to Atletico Madrid, there are reports that Tottenham will fire Tudor.

If Tottenham loses to Liverpool this weekend, it could be the end for the Croatian coach. According to BBC Sports, Tottenham now has several options, from former coaches like Ryan Mason, Tim Sherwood, or De Zerbi, who is unemployed after leaving Marseille, to Edin Terzic (former Dortmund coach) and Marco Rose (former RB Leipzig coach).

The question for Tottenham is whether they can find a replacement for Tudor quickly at this stage. If not, the team's crisis will deepen.