TOTTENHAM’S new manager Igor Tudor was seen fuming on the touchline, and seemingly ignored by his players, during a losing debut to Arsenal.
Spurs were thrashed 4-1 by their North London rivals at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in Tudor’s first match in charge of his new team.
The Croatian tactician replaced Thomas Frank in the dugout last week on a short deal until the end of the season and has been tasked with steering the team away from relegation trouble, with his players currently four points away from the drop.
But it seems like the ex-Juventus boss will have his hands full until May and that became evident during the North London Derby as he was seen lashing out at his defenders.
Tudor vehemently ordered his back three – comprised of Joao Palhinha, Radu Dragusin and captain Micky van de Ven – to “push up”.
However, it seemed like the former Lazio manager didn’t get a response from his players.
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That was most apparently the case with Van de Ven to whom he appeared to yell at the most.
It seems like Tudor’s frustrations weren’t unfounded as post-match stats show Tottenham rarely stepped inside Arsenal’s area and mostly focused on playing deep.
And Van de Ven would rarely make it past the half-way line, while most frequently being active on the edge of his own six-yard box, according to his heat map.
Spurs managed just nine touches in the Arsenal penalty area in the entire match, with Kolo Muani scoring with the team’s very first foray into their rivals’ box.
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The former Marseille manager didn’t mince his words during his first post-match interview as he insists the team needs to get rid of “bad habits” and become “serious”.
Tudor told Sky Sports: “I know the truth [about this team], now I saw the truth. It’s not nice, but it is how it is.
“Of course, I am confident [of survival]. I believe these are good players with bad habits.
“Nobody can tell me we don’t have quality. But we need to change a mental switch and have this mental sharpness to be in the game from the first minutes and also the physicality to do this.
“To be physical, you need to work hard, otherwise it’s a problem. Too many players had problems. That’s the result.
‘I’m very sad and very angry’
“[I learned] That we need to work. Too many bad habits in the past. We need to look at ourselves, grow and be humble. We need to run more, play better, defend better, win duels, second balls.
“The players wanted [it], they showed passion, wanted to run, but when we pressed high, they don’t arrive or take the ball in a block.
“[Arsenal] Are strong, they have more power, more energy and they believe more. That’s the key in the end.
“We need more time to be in a physical moment and physical situation where we can go strong and take the ball. Now we are not in that moment. Even with the ball, a lack of confidence is very evident in the team.
“We wanted and prepared to do the things but there is an opponent, there is a reality today. I’m very sad and very angry and everything, but in one way it is also good to understand where our goal is.
“What is the goal of this club? What is the goal of this team? What is the goal of this coach, these players, this staff?
“To become serious. Serious, not just a group of 20 players, and the medicine is you look in the mirror. Each of us look in the mirror and really try, really start to change the habits.
But having just got rid of a manager who was seen drinking from an Arsenal cup before a match, Spurs fans may be less than impressed with how in awe of the Gunners their new manager appeared in his interview.
Tudor said: “We didn’t need this game for sure. Arsenal are probably the best team now in the world so it was not easy.
“I also played a lot of derbies and as a coach, they give you something more like mentality or motivation but there are also other things that you cannot change in the three or four training sessions – it’s impossible.”
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