‘I believe more’: Tudor insists Spurs going in right direction despite third loss

Tottenham Hotspur’s interim manager Igor Tudor declared “the boat is going in the direction I want to go” even after a 3-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace on Tuesday left his side hovering one point above the relegation zone and still searching for a first victory under his watch.

The north Londoners have lost all three matches since Tudor replaced Thomas Frank last month, and the latest setback came after defender Micky van de Ven was sent off with the score at 1-0 to Spurs following Dominic Solanke’s opener. Palace capitalised on the numerical advantage through a brace from Ismaïla Sarr and a Jørgen Strand Larsen strike, moving themselves ten points clear of the bottom three.

Despite the toxic mood inside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Tudor struck a defiant tone. “Unfortunately this is the moment that we pay everything,” he said. “One red card changes everything. I will tell you now, maybe it will sound strange, but I believe more after this game than I believed before. I saw something.”

The Croatian coach, who refused to be drawn on his long-term future, emphasised squad unity as the club fights to avoid the drop with nine fixtures remaining. “I need to choose the right guys because the boat is going in the direction that I want to go, and needs to go, and who is in the boat can stay. Otherwise they can leave the boat. When players come back I’m sure we will have a good team and the victories will come.”

Van de Ven will now miss Sunday’s daunting trip to Liverpool, further complicating selection issues for a side that has managed just one win in its last ten league outings. “It’s very difficult,” Tudor admitted. “We need to keep working. Try to help these guys, because I see them every day, they care. Do not make mistakes. This is the key in the end.”

Tottenham, stuck in 16th place, must quickly find solutions if they are to preserve their top-flight status, yet their interim boss insists belief remains intact. “I cannot tell the guys nothing after this game. They gave everything,” he said. “We need to stay together now.”