Tudor’s Disastrous Six-Week Stint Has Left Spurs Even Closer to Relegation: What Happened?

Igor Tudor’s 43-day reign at Tottenham Hotspur will be filed under crisis mismanagement: the firefighter who arrived with a hose full of petrol. Appointed on 9 February to “improve performances, deliver results and move Spurs up the Premier League table,” the Croatian departs with the club 17th, one point above the relegation zone and winless in the league since 26 January.

The numbers are stark. Since the beginning of last season Tottenham have lost 46 matches in all competitions; under Tudor they collected one victory in eight fixtures, conceded 17 goals and collected five points from a possible 21. The nadir came last weekend when Nottingham Forest, another relegation candidate, left the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a 3-0 win that turned a must-bounce-back occasion into a funeral march.

Inside the building, the mood had soured almost immediately. Sporting director Johan Lange cited Tudor’s mid-season rescue acts at Udinese, Verona, Lazio and Juventus as proof he could “make an immediate performance impact,” yet the context at Spurs was different. Tudor’s trusted assistant, Ivan Javorcic, never received a UK work permit, leaving the head coach to implement his high-intensity methods without his most valued lieutenant. Players spoke of double sessions that prioritised fitness over cohesion; privately, some questioned whether the squad, already depleted by 13 injuries, needed more running or more belief.

Tactically, Tudor never settled. He switched between a back three and a back four, deployed right-back Pedro Porro as a right-sided centre-back against Crystal Palace and, most controversially, dropped first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario for 22-year-old Antonín Kinsky in the Champions League round-of-16 first leg at Atlético Madrid. Kinsky was hooked after 17 minutes – the earliest goalkeeper substitution in Champions League knockout history – and left the field to no consolation from his manager. Spurs lost 5-2 in Madrid and exited 7-5 on aggregate despite a spirited 3-2 home win in the return.

Publicly, Tudor’s tone oscillated between scathing and supportive. After the 4-1 derby defeat to Arsenal he challenged the squad to “look in the mirror”; following the 2-1 loss at Fulham he admitted the team “lacked everything.” Yet after the home defeat to Palace he professed “more belief than ever,” a contradiction that undermined credibility with senior players who felt the constant public criticism exacerbated fragile confidence.

The Liverpool draw and the belated victory over Atlético offered brief respite, but the Forest loss – compounded by the death of Tudor’s father hours after full-time – extinguished any remaining goodwill. Sources say chairman Daniel Levy and CEO Vinai Venkatesham acted swiftly once it became clear the squad had “checked out” emotionally.

Attention now turns to Roberto De Zerbi. Spurs ideally want the Italian to take over immediately, though De Zerbi has indicated he will only consider the role in summer – and only if Tottenham remain a Premier League club. With seven games left and the relegation line tightening, the next appointment is less about long-term philosophy and more about bare-knuckle survival.

For Tudor, the epitaph is brutal: six weeks, one win, and a club closer to the Championship than it has ever been in the modern era. For Spurs, the search for a saviour resumes amid growing fears that the house could still burn down.