Tottenham get ideal lift ahead of Nottingham Forest showdown as Igor Tudor turns a corner | OneFootball

Atletico Madrid win gives Spurs renewed belief for relegation fight

Tottenham flooded forward on the break and Igor Tudor stood there furiously on the touchline, urging calm.

It was the final seconds of stoppage-time and Spurs had run out of time to score the two goals they needed to force extra-time, but they continued to attack, fuelled by the adrenaline of their best performance of the season.

“We go with nine [players in attack], I got a little bit angry there,” he said after the match.

For all there was disappointment etched on the faces of the Spurs players at full-time, this was in many ways the perfect preparation for what is to come - the biggest match of the season.

Xavi Simons starred for Spurs against Atletico

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Spurs host Nottingham Forest on Sunday in a true relegation six-pointer. Win it and the pressure will be significantly eased, and you could see them kicking well on away from the bottom three.

Lose and it will be a very, very long three weeks until the next match, potentially a period used for yet another managerial change.

There is no reason for Spurs to be pondering that latter scenario now. Play like they did against Atletico and they will comfortably beat Forest. Maintain it for the rest of the season and Spurs will end up closer to mid-table than the bottom three.

From being on the brink of losing his job with a bad result at Anfield, Tudor has turned a corner and in a big way.

Spurs looked free in attack against Atletico, registering 11 shots on target. That came even without Richarlison and Dominic Solanke.

Mathys Tel was full of confidence and direct running, while Xavi Simons pushed his case to start on Sunday. This was his first time starting since the defeat to Fulham and he scored twice, created five chances, and drove Spurs forward at every opportunity.

The energy of the players was noticeable. In his first week in the job, Tudor was fairly scathing of the condition the squad were in.

Igor Tudor celebrates his first win as Tottenham boss

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“Physically, we are not in an amazing situation,” he said. “To do the pressing high you need to be fit.

“It is easy to run there but you need to run back. If you run up and don’t run back it’s a problem.

“Maybe you have habits to, I don’t know… work a bit less.”

Tudor has used time on the training pitch to put his squad to work. There has been an emphasis on running drills without the ball to get the players up to a fitness level he is happy with.

That is starting to pay off. Archie Gray led that effort with a relentless display against Atletico.

The mentality was there to go with it too. In stoppage-time, with the tie effectively over, Djed Spence made a desperate run back to slide in and stop an Atletico counter.

Djed Spence epitomised Tottenham’s spirit against Atletico

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The Spurs fans responded to that, as they did the attacking intent from their players all night. It was far from a sell-out, with less than 50,000 in attendance, but it was a great atmosphere as the supporters appreciated a rare display of this quality.

This was a performance to build on and also a strengthening of the relationship between fans and players, one that has been strained at that stadium for so long.

After a torrid season, the last four days have reset the mood and renewed belief.

None of that will matter if Spurs do not ride the wave and show up against Forest, but for the first time in months there is justifiable confidence that they will deliver.