Tottenham Hotspur have sacked interim head coach Igor Tudor with the club just one point above the Premier League relegation zone.
Tottenham have taken drastic action with seven league games to go after picking up one point from five league games under the Croatian’s watch.
Tudor was only appointed on 14 February after Spurs dismissed Thomas Frank, and his short 43-day reign – which also included a Champions League exit to Atletico Madrid – ends a week after they lost to relegation rivals Nottingham Forest 3-0 at home.
West Ham are currently 18th one point below Tottenham, who were last relegated from the top tier in 1977.
A statement said: “We can confirm that it has been mutually agreed for head coach Igor Tudor to leave the club with immediate effect.
“Tomislav Rogic and Riccardo Ragnacci have also left their respective roles of goalkeeping coach and physical Coach.
“We thank Igor, Tomislav and Riccardo for their efforts during the past six weeks, in which they worked tirelessly.
“We also acknowledge the bereavement that Igor has recently suffered and send our support to him and his family at this difficult time.
“An update on a new head coach will be provided in due course.”
To-do list
Spurs do not play again until 12 April when they travel to Sunderland.
Here, The i Paper looks at the to-do list of the next head coach in place in N17.
Raise morale
Confidence was already an issue when Tudor arrived after a poor run of form, but belief will presumably be at an all-time low after a recent club-record six-match losing streak and a winless run in the Premier League which now stands at 13 fixtures.
The sight of Tottenham players collapsing to the floor at full-time has been all too frequent in recent months and Tudor’s harsh appraisal that they lacked in attack, midfield and defence at the start of March will not have helped matters.
Spurs will only get out of their precarious situation with renewed belief, and an arm-around-the-shoulder of certain key players could help boost morale.
No more square pegs in round holes
A particular issue during Tudor’s reign was his tendency to put players out of position in an effort to stick to his favoured three-at-the-back formation.
Joao Palhinha and Pedro Porro were both used as centre-backs, while Conor Gallagher, Xavi Simons and Lucas Bergvall have all had stints as wide midfielders when they are better suited centrally.
Poor Archie Gray played as a right wing-back and left-back before he finally got the chance in central midfield where he has unsurprisingly flourished. Even Dominic Solanke was deployed as an attacking midfielder. For the next seven games, Spurs’ players need simplicity and to play in their correct positions.
Win at home
Most teams which survive a relegation battle can rely on picking points up at home and turning their ground into a fortress, but Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has been the opposite.
Spurs have won only two home league games all season and managed only two in the second half of the 2024-25 campaign too. Even though European nights have produced memorable occasions, domestically they are without a win at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium since 6 December.
There are a multitude of reasons why Tottenham have struggled at home, but one area where a quick win would be possible is to instruct the team to start on the front-foot and not be passive. On too many occasions under Thomas Frank and Tudor, the hosts have sat off opponents and struggled to claw back momentum.
Read more
Achieve safety
Two wins may be enough or even a tally of eight points, but if that sounds simple, it is not for a team hopelessly out of form.
Tottenham have won only two of their last 22 league fixtures and taken a grand total of one point from their last seven games. If they are to stay up and avoid a seismic relegation, that tally must improve significantly.
With big-money forwards in Richarlison and Solanke along with talented young players like Gray, Xavi and Lucas Bergvall plus Europa League-winning centre-backs Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, Spurs should have the required quality to avoid the bottom three, but they need to remember how to win in the Premier League and fast.
Additional reporting by Press Association
from Football - The i Paper https://ift.tt/galDTqi
Post a Comment