Tottenham: Igor Tudor on the brink as Liverpool clash could spell the end for disastrous tenure | OneFootball

Tudor will be in the dugout at Anfield, following conversations with Vinai Venkatesham

To the surprise of many, Igor Tudor lives to fight another day as Tottenham head coach.

But despite becoming the first manager in the club’s history to lose each of his first four games in charge, Tudor will be in the dugout when Spurs take on Liverpool this afternoon, following daily conversations with the club’s chief executive, Vinai Venkatesham.

Spurs are guaranteed to avoid slipping into the Premier League relegation zone by the time they kick off against Liverpool.

Yet with relegation rivals Nottingham Forest to come next weekend, Sunday’s game has been billed as something of a dead rubber.

As Atletico proved, though, just because expectations are low does not mean the spotlight is off Spurs and Tudor.

With nine Premier League games left and just one point separating them and the relegation zone, there is pressure riding on every game from here until the end of the season.

Tudor remains up for the fight, determined to find the positives in Spurs’ performance against Atletico, and he has implored his players not to be victims of the club’s situation.

“You can stay and cry or you can fight. You can be the victim or you can say I can change something. This is the message I want to start and what I told to the players,” Tudor said in his pre-match press conference on Friday.

Up for the fight: Igor Tudor

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The frayed relations between Tudor and his squad were on full display as Spurs found themselves 4-0 down inside 22 minutes against Atletico.

It seems Tudor’s messages are not getting through, but it is imperative Spurs’ players heed his call.

In what was another frank and honest press conference, Tudor admitted “some of them they cannot manage, for sure” when asked if his players were listening to him.

There are clearly players he feels he can trust and others he feels lack the commitment he needs to face up to Spurs’ perilous league position.

His dismissive answer, “I choose what I think is best for the club”, to questions around Xavi Simons’ continued absence from the starting lineup suggests the Dutch midfielder is someone who does not figure in his plans.

Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is someone Tudor has had to restore faith in after his decision to hand Antonin Kinsky his first start since October against Atletico backfired spectacularly.

Kinsky’s two mistakes inside the opening quarter of an hour at the Metropolitano led to him being substituted in the 17th-minute, with Tudor facing criticism for seemingly blanking the Czech ‘keeper as he made his way off the pitch.

You can stay and cry or you can fight. You can be the victim or you can say I can change something

Igor Tudor

Tudor, though, was quick to clarify the situation, saying he did not want to make matters worse and hugged Kinsky at half-time instead.

Vicario, who has started every league game for Spurs this season, will be restored in goal against Liverpool, and Tudor says he has no concerns that his confidence could have been knocked after being left on the bench against Atletico.

The decision to bring Vicario back was a simple one, but across the pitch, Tudor is continuing to struggle for options as he grapples with an injury crisis like no other he has faced in his managerial career.

“We have again a lot of problems to make first 11. This is how it is in this club. this happen all the time. We start to build something, then happens something, or a red card, or last game, or three or four injuries.

“This is very rare that happens in my career. I never see these situations.”

Guglielmo Vicario will start for Tottenham against Liverpool

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Defender Kevin Danso said the time for talking had stopped after the Atletico game as he revealed that the players were well aware of the gravity of the club’s situation.

This view is echoed by Tudor, who says it is time to cut the “b*******” as they look to go to Anfield and win for the first time since 2011.

Arne Slot’s side are not the same formidable force that romped to the Premier League title last season.

Spurs, though, are not in the habit of winning, having not done so in the league since December 28th, and have lost their last six games in all competitions for the first time in their history.

Tudor is on the brink, and another defeat could spell the end for his disastrous tenure.