Tottenham manager Igor Tudor insisted there was “no time to find excuses” and vowed not to play for a draw as he aims to lift the club out of relegation troubles.
Tudor was named head coach of the Spurs on a contract until the end of the season.
The Croatian replaced Thomas Frank, who was sacked after eight games without a win, leaving Spurs 16th in the Premier League table and just five points above the drop zone.
Sunday, February 22nd 4pm
4:30pm kickoff
In his first interview since taking over on Saturday, Tudor said he wants to inject “confidence” and “courage” into his underperforming team.
He told Spurs Play: “The first priority is to give the team everything it needs at this moment.
“The team first of all needs to gain confidence and courage, but they also need concrete things on the pitch.
“I came here knowing that the situation was not easy. There is no time to find excuses.
“What I have said here from day one is that each of us, each player, needs to give something more, something special, because the position of the club at the moment is not acceptable to anyone. All Tottenham fans cannot accept this situation. We recognize that, but recognizing that is not enough.”
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Tim Sherwood believes Tudor need to win 90 per cent of their Champions League and Premier League games to have any chance of keeping the job in the long term
“I’ve never seen a coach play to a draw.”
The former Juventus manager faces a daunting first game in his role on Sunday as Spurs take on rivals Premier League leaders Arsenal live on Sky Sports.
But Tudor only has his sights set on this weekend’s North London derby.
“It’s a big week, a big game,” he said. “This derby is a great game to play and we want to play it the way the fans like it.
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European football expert Andy Brassell outlines Tudor’s background
“I’m going to give everything we have to achieve what we want in the right way, in a brave but intelligent and smart way. That’s victory.”
He later added, “And as for win or draw, the truth is, I’ve never seen a coach say you can play in a draw. That’s impossible.”
“Offensive football, yes, but smart, that’s the key.”
Tudor: We need to find the best system during the absenteeism crisis
Tudor has favored using three men at the back and wing-backs during his managerial career, but the 47-year-old admitted Spurs’ extensive absentee list meant they needed to find the “optimal system”.
“I like to be positive. I like to play attacking football. That’s my first goal. I like to score goals, but in the same way you need to give the defense some organization and a clear structure of what you want to play.”
“The situation is not easy because we have a lot of injured players, so first of all we have to find the best system that suits the players available at the moment. It’s a very special time.
“It may sound strange, but I believe that what we need to focus on is training. So training from today onwards, that is the key. Because as I always say, Sunday and the game are the result of training.”
“The coaches need to show us the path of where we want to go and how we want to get there, and the players need to buy into that.”
“Style is more important than system”
Tudor has recently made a huge impact at Lazio and Juventus, and has made a splash in mid-season with the Serie A club.
The former Juve defender will be hoping to make a similar impact at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in a bid to allay fears of a first relegation to the second division since 1977.
He said, “If we can run 115km as a team, that’s better than 105km. We’re not adding one more athlete, so there’s nothing wrong with choosing that direction.”
“It’s always important to have motivated players who understand that when it comes to running and the physical side of football, sometimes it’s not easy, but without quality you can’t do anything.
“So you have to find a combination of things because technical skills, intelligence, seeing and being aware of the situation on the pitch always come first.”
He added: “I believe in style. Style is more important than system. Every club has its own uniqueness because these are very special times. It’s always important to think about that, first of all as a club culture, what kind of football we like.”
“But in the same way, you have to remember who you are and what you want the team to achieve and think, ‘This player can do this,’ and work with a very smart staff to find the best way to do it in a very short amount of time.”
