Igor Tudor has insisted he is not interested in “all this bull****” when evaluating Tottenham Hotspur’s poor run of form and has urged his players to “stand up” ahead of Sunday’s clash with Liverpool F.C..
The 47-year-old has endured a difficult start to his time in north London, losing each of his first four matches since replacing Thomas Frank as head coach. Although the Croatian signed a deal until the end of the season, he is already under significant pressure after failing to improve Spurs’ fortunes.
Defeats to Arsenal F.C., Fulham F.C. and Crystal Palace F.C. have dragged Tottenham into a serious relegation battle near the bottom of the Premier League table. Spurs currently sit 16th, just one point above Nottingham Forest F.C. in 17th and West Ham United F.C. in 18th place.
Attention then shifted to the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, but Tottenham’s struggles continued as they suffered a heavy 5–2 defeat to Atlético Madrid.
Speaking after the loss, Tudor admitted the situation has been difficult but urged his players to respond positively ahead of the trip to Anfield.
“Tough, for sure,” the former Olympique de Marseille and Juventus F.C. manager said. “Not just because of the last game but because of the whole period. It’s not an easy situation or moment. It’s a big challenge to change things.
“Like everything in life, you can choose how to look at the situation. You can cry or you can fight. You can be a victim or you can try to change something. That’s the message I gave the players. The bottle can be half empty or half full.
“Those who stand up with the courage to change things will become better people and better players afterwards. It’s about all of us, not about all this bull****.”
Tudor also confirmed a major injury setback ahead of the match against Liverpool, revealing that Cristian Romero and João Palhinha will both miss the trip to Anfield.
“No, they’re out,” Tudor said when asked about the pair. “Micky is out, Bissouma has a problem, and Conor has a fever but we hope he will be okay. Something always happens. It’s very rare — I’ve never seen this in my career.”
Romero and Palhinha join a growing injury list that already includes Wilson Odobert, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Rodrigo Bentancur, Mohammed Kudus, Ben Davies, Lucas Bergvall and Destiny Udogie.
After Sunday’s Premier League trip to Liverpool, Tottenham will host Atlético Madrid three days later in the Champions League Round of 16 second leg.
