Igor Tudor has conducted his first interview as interim head coach of Tottenham Hotspur, outlining his approach amid the club's Premier League relegation fight. The 47-year-old Croatian replaced Thomas Frank with Spurs in 16th place. He stressed offensive play, adapting to injuries, and eliminating excuses.
Tottenham Hotspur's new interim head coach, Igor Tudor, spoke in a video released on social media about his expectations and style since taking charge. The club is struggling in 16th position in the Premier League, and Tudor aims to instill a positive, front-foot mentality that he feels was lacking under previous coach Thomas Frank.
"I like to be positive, I like to play offensive football. That’s my first goal. I like to score goals but in the same way, for sure, you need to give organisation in defence, give the clear structure of what you want to play. I believe that style is more important than the system, of course," Tudor said.
He addressed the team's injury woes, noting the need to tailor tactics to available players. "The situation here is not easy because we have a lot of players injured so we need to find the best system that suits the players available. Maybe this can sound strange but I believe that the thing we need to be focused on is training," he explained.
Tudor emphasized accountability, rejecting any excuses for the poor form. "I’m coming here knowing the situation is not easy. There is no time to find excuses, that is what I said from the first day, each of us, each of the players needs to give something because the position of the club at this moment is not what anyone can expect. Every fan of Tottenham cannot accept the situation. We are aware of that but it is not enough to just be aware. We can’t use excuses."
Describing his role as both a challenge and an honor, Tudor focused on building team confidence. "Big challenge for me, big honour to be here and I’m very happy. In the same way I don’t think too much about myself because I’m focused on work to do," he stated. He highlighted relationships with players and staff, mentioning prior coaching ties with injured squad members Dejan and Rodrigo.
Tudor's first match in charge is a daunting North London derby against Arsenal, who lead the standings and seek their first title since 2004. Spurs hope to disrupt Arsenal's campaign while kickstarting their own recovery.
