Igor Tudor is out of his depth - Tottenham must sack him before it's too late | OneFootball

Croat’s tough-love approach is not working and club have no time to waste

Four games, four defeats, 14 goals conceded, one point outside the relegation zone - and zero chance of getting through to the Champions League quarter-finals playing like this.

Unwanted records are one thing, and they paint an image of the apparent dysfunction that has set in under Tudor.

However, it was his decision to start and then hook goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky - whose only two appearances for Spurs this season came in the Carabao Cup in September and October - after just 17 minutes that could ultimately cost him his job.

Thrust into the starting line-up for his Champions League debut, Kinsky endured a nightmare night, as he twice made a mistake with the ball at his feet to gift goals to Marcos Llorente and Julian Alvarez in a freakish opening 15-minute spell, in which Spurs conceded three times from three unforced errors.

Antonin Kinsky can’t watch after his gaffe gifts Atletico their third goal

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Tudor’s decision backfired spectacularly, and he made the huge decision to bring Kinsky off.

You can argue the rights and wrongs of that - goalkeeping great Peter Schmeichel was among the critics, accusing the Tottenham interim of “killing” the young keeper’s career.

But it was how Tudor appeared to react when Kinsky made way for Guglielmo Vicario that perfectly summarised the disconnect that has been brewing throughout his time at the helm.

Tudor owes the Czech Republic international a duty of care. Instead, though, he seemingly made no efforts to console the 22-year-old as he headed off the pitch and down the tunnel, accompanied by a number of Spurs’ staff and players at the Estadio Metropolitano.

Tudor claimed post-match that he had been trying to “preserve” Kinsky from making any further mistakes.

Why not then offer an arm round the shoulder, a word of comfort instead of failing to acknowledge him on the touchline?

Tudor’s tough-love approach is not working and unless something changes, Tottenham are going to be playing Championship football next season.

Spurs captain Cristian Romero comforts Kinsky after being taken off

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Their form is the worst in the top flight - you have to go back to December 28 to find their most recent league win, and it’s now six straight defeats in a row in all competitions.

Meanwhile, relegation rivals West Ham and Nottingham Forest are grinding out some results and making convincing cases that they can overhaul Spurs.

The Atletico game could hardly have gone any worse for Tudor, and his time at the club ought to be drawing to a close.

His experimental selection decisions - with Conor Gallagher, Xavi Simons and Dominic Solanke all left on the bench - were odd, and his chopping and changing of tactics across the four games suggests there is no clear plan of how he wants his team to play.

Spurs are worse off now than they were under Thomas Frank.

The club had been looking for a new manager bounce with Tudor, yet he has looked out of his depth and somehow they have regressed.

It has been a sorry three-week spell and Spurs must roll the dice again before it’s too late.