Igor Tudor heads for tunnel as Spurs slump deepens

Tottenham Hotspur interim manager Igor Tudor offered no on-pitch consolations after watching his new side capitulate 4-1 to north-London rivals Arsenal on Sunday, choosing instead to shake hands with Mikel Arteta and march straight down the tunnel at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The Croatian, appointed only days earlier, has wasted no time imposing a demanding tone. During the derby he was repeatedly heard barking at centre-backs Radu Dragusin and Micky van de Ven to push the back three higher, and training-ground accounts from last week describe similarly blunt instructions.

The heavy defeat leaves Tottenham 16th in the Premier League table, four points above the relegation places with seven fixtures remaining. Next up is a trip to Craven Cottage to face Fulham on Sunday, followed by meetings with Crystal Palace, Liverpool and Nottingham Forest—fixtures Tudor knows are critical to survival hopes.

To balance the manager’s abrasive style, the club have added former Chelsea and Barcelona coach Bruno Saltor to the staff, hoping his reputation for fostering squad unity can temper tensions and coax improved performances from an injury-hit roster.

Whether Tudor’s confrontational approach can arrest the slide remains uncertain, but with relegation a genuine threat Spurs can ill-afford another lapse.