Igor Tudor’s Challenges as the New Tottenham Manager

Igor Tudor’s introduction to life as Tottenham Hotspur manager will be nothing short of a trial by fire, with the 47-year-old Croat handed a daunting North London derby against Arsenal on Sunday, 22 February. Appointed with the club mired in 16th place and only 29 points from 26 Premier League matches, Tudor inherits a squad flirting with relegation and a fixture list that offers no gentle landing.

A former Juventus and Croatia defender who twice lifted the Serie A trophy as a player, Tudor arrives in N17 with a managerial CV that is comparatively light. His lone piece of silverware on the touchline came in 2013 when he guided Hajduk Split to the Croatian Cup, while interim stints at Juventus and Lazio provided only fleeting opportunities to shape a team. Now, the stakes are exponentially higher: keep Spurs in the top flight or risk a financial and sporting catastrophe for a club that has invested heavily in infrastructure and playing personnel.

The derby against Arsenal carries a dual layer of pressure. Tradition alone ensures a fevered atmosphere, but the table adds a sharper edge. Tottenham’s cushion over West Ham United is a fragile five points; a positive result against their neighbours would widen that gap, while defeat could suck them deeper into the relegation mire. With that in mind, pragmatism may trump adventure. Arsenal’s threat from set-pieces and aerial deliveries, coupled with the fluid movement of Bukayo Saka, Ben White and summer target Eberechi Eze down the right, suggests Spurs cannot afford to be cavalier.

Tactical speculation has already begun. A back-five system, morphing into a 5-4-1 when out of possession, appears the most prudent route to frustrate Mikel Arteta’s side. Dominic Solanke would lead the line alone, supported by two disciplined banks of four, with João Palhinha and Pape Matar Sarr tasked with shielding the back line and disrupting the rhythm of Arsenal’s midfield trio of Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi and Eze. An extra body at centre-half would, in theory, stifle the space Saka craves on the flank and reduce the likelihood of Spurs being overrun by quick interchanges.

Yet formations are only as reliable as the minds executing them. Tudor’s first team-talk must balance caution with conviction: sit too deep and Arsenal will simply pick the lock; push too high and the counter-press could expose a defence that has already leaked 40 league goals this season. The Croat has only a handful of training sessions to imprint his ideas, identify leaders, and decide whether experience or youthful energy offers the better route to survival.

Inside the club’s Enfield training base, the mood will be tense. Players know that slipping into the Championship would undo years of progress, devalue a squad assembled for nine-figure sums, and leave a dent in the new stadium’s gleaming façade. For the board, avoiding relegation is not merely sporting pride—it is economic necessity, with broadcast revenue, sponsorship deals and even the club’s ability to attract future talent all tied to top-flight status.

Tudor, therefore, must conjure an instant response. A point against Arsenal would be celebrated like a win; three points would feel like a liberation. Anything less and the clock ticks louder on a season that is already threatening to become one of the most ignominious in the club’s modern history. The resurgence, as the new manager acknowledged in his first address to the squad, has to start now. Otherwise, the gap to safety may become insurmountable, and the Premier League’s most lavish arena could find itself hosting Championship football next August.