Manager Igor Tudor insists he has seen enough of Tottenham’s defeat to Crystal Palace to increase his belief they can avoid relegation.
Tottenham are in crisis and facing the real possibility of relegation following a shocking 3-1 defeat at home following Micky van de Ven’s sending off.
Spurs led 1-0 but collapsed after Van de Ven was sacked, and Tudor ended up losing all three games in charge. Spurs (last relegated from the top flight in 1977) are just one point above the drop zone and will next face Liverpool at Anfield in the Premier League.
“I understand the fans’ feelings. They wanted more,” he said after the game. “We wanted more too. The red card changed everything.
“It may sound strange, but after this game I believe more than before.
“I saw something. The boat is going in the direction I want it to go, so I need to pick the right people. Those who are on the boat can stay, or (they) can get off the boat.”
“Once the other players come back, I’m sure we’ll come back as a good team. It’s not easy to accept the current situation.”
Spurs’ relegation odds are currently 19/10, equating to a 35 per cent implied chance of playing in the Sky Bet Championship next season.
Asked whether he would take charge in the next game away to Liverpool, Tudor replied: “No comment on that question.”
21 days later: Have the Spurs really already pulled the trigger on Tudor?
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Tottenham Hotspur head coach Igor Tudor says he believes in his team more than ever after their 3-1 loss to Crystal Palace
Sky Sports’ Lewis Jones said:
“Just 21 days into the Tudor reign, there are already questions floating around in the boardroom that sound faintly ridiculous when said out loud: Can we sack him already?
“But football has never been a place where ridicule can interfere with decision-making.
“Numbers don’t care about timelines or reputation. The Premier League table is just about points, and at the moment Spurs have collected far too few points. With each passing week, the cushion is shrinking and the odds are falling. Every week the conversation moves from ‘this is going to change’ to ‘this needs to be fixed ASAP’ to ‘Lincoln are very good at this time of year’.
“And when panic begins to creep into a relegation battle, clubs reach for the lever they believe can create the quickest impact: the manager.
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Sky Sports’ Gary Cotterill and Peter Smith analyze Tottenham Hotspur’s relegation threat after home defeat to Crystal Palace
“This is the only move the board can make immediately. You can’t sign five players tomorrow morning. You can’t roll back the season. But you can change the voice in the dressing room.
“The only rational thing for them to do might be to sack the manager in three weeks. Three weeks really is a lifetime in football.”
Spurs next 6 games
Tuesday 10th March: Atlético Madrid (A) – Champions League, kick-off 8pm) Sunday 15th March: Liverpool (A) – Premier League, kick-off 4.30pm (live on Sky Sports) Wednesday 18th March: Atlético Madrid (H) – Champions League, kick-off 8pm (live on Sky Sports) Sunday 22nd March: Nottingham Forest (H) – Premier League, 2.15pm kick-off (live on Sky Sports) 12: Sunderland (A) – Premier League, 2.00pm kick-off (live on Sky Sports) Saturday 18th April: Brighton (H) – Premier League, 5.30pm kick-off (live on Sky Sports)
