17 minutes of pure chaos in Madrid that could well have determined the fate of Tottenham Hotspur boss Igor Tudor.
Have you ever seen anything quite like this? Spurs were 3-0 down within 15 minutes against Atletico. Two catastrophic errors from goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky saw him withdrawn from the action on his Champions League debut before a quarter of the match had even been played.
The Lilywhites may well have staged something of a comeback through Pedro Porro and Dominic Solanke but they still lost 5-2, putting Tudor under further pressure.
The Croatian was brought in to steady the ship after Thomas Frank’s turbulent reign but they now look even worse. Spurs are heading for a European exit, but more worryingly, they look favourites to be relegated from the Premier League.
So, could another change in the dugout be afoot?
Who could replace Igor Tudor at Spurs?
When the Tottenham hierarchy decided to bring in the Croat on an interim basis, they did so knowing a number of their first-choice options were not available. So, they decided to play for the short-term.
|
Tudor’s Spurs reign so far |
|
|---|---|
|
Games |
4 |
|
Wins |
0 |
|
Draws |
0 |
|
Defeats |
4 |
|
Goals scored |
5 |
|
Goals conceded |
14 |
Mauricio Pochettino, widely thought to be the frontrunner for the vacancy, will not be going anywhere before he has led out the United States of America at their home World Cup this summer.
As for former Brighton and Marseille boss Roberto De Zerbi, talks have been held but he is reportedly not interested in taking on another role now until the summer. He’s a wise man in that regard.
So, who’s the man for the job right now? Well, it might be former Spurs striker Robbie Keane.
That’s according to TEAMtalk, who report that Tudor is set for the sack after a run of four straight games without a win. They note that Keane is the club’s ‘preferred’ option to get them out of the current mess they find themselves in.
Graeme Bailey, TEAMtalk correspondent, was quizzed on the matter and said: “The club’s hierarchy are now in talks having previously decided that Tudor would get until after the Atletico second leg…but the first leg defeat has forced a rethink. Tottenham’s hierarchy are in regular contact with the Lewis Family, whilst Daniel Levy – still a significant shareholder in ENIC is being kept informed and aware of the situation.
“As it stands the club are continuing to do work on options to replace Igor Tudor – the hierarchy are aware that the squad have not reacted to Tudor as they hoped. Robbie Keane has been spoken to, but he is also a top target for Crystal Palace and has been linked to Celtic, heading into the summer.”
Why Robbie Keane is the man for the job
Truthfully, any manager who entered the dugout at Spurs right now would be a complete madman. Do you really want relegation on your CV with one of the Premier League’s most established clubs?
On the contrary, this could be the chance to make yourself a hero and build something special.
While bringing in a third manager of the campaign would not be ideal, you sense that change simply has to be made. Under Tudor, Spurs will get relegated; something needs to happen.
Well, in Keane, they could appoint their own Michael Carrick, or dare we even say it, their own Mikel Arteta. By that we mean a former player coming back to rescue the club.
Carrick has worked wonders as Manchester United’s interim boss, clearing the rubble of a disastrous Ruben Amorim era and laying the foundations for brighter times. United currently sit third in the Premier League and have lost just once during his tenure.
Arteta’s story of revival at Arsenal has been even more special. While the Gunners have not won a trophy since the FA Cup in 2020, the Spaniard has ensured Spurs’ noisy neighbours have competed for the title in each of the last four campaigns.
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While it would be something of a stretch to suggest Keane would put Tottenham in a position to win the league, he does have trophy-winning experience in recent years.
Like Carrick and Arteta, he’s on the rise and firmly establishing himself as one of the brightest young managers around, winning the league in Israel with Maccabi Tel Aviv and taking home the Hungarian top-flight title with Ferencvaros as well.
In Hungary, Keane’s stock has risen considerably. While he played a four-back with Maccabi, he has favoured a 3-5-2 formation with Ferencvaros, demonstrating a level of tactical versatility that was not apparent during the reigns of Ange Postecoglou and Frank.
That said, there is something of Ange-ball to the Irishman’s philosophy. Speaking back in 2021, the Spurs icon outlined his coaching philosophy and preferred tactics.
He said: “It’s very aggressive in terms of with the ball. I always played in teams that were very, very good, and always a good footballing team, playing for Tottenham for eight years as you know, Tottenham is a footballing team. They have a certain way. Play off on the back, play through the lines quickly. That’s something I’m big on.”
That should be music to the ears of supporters. He knows the Spurs way and that could be absolutely vital in their quest to remain in the division.
Elaborating further on the way he wants his teams to play in 2024, the former Republic of Ireland international said: “The way I played was play from the back as much as you can, but don’t be stupid. I told my centre-halves if you keep passing to each other, I’m going to take you off. Because they passed to each other just for the sake of passing.
“Pass with a purpose, I always used to say to defenders. If you see the six or you see the eight free, straight away, pass to them. I don’t care if we’re 1-0 up, 2-0 up, 0-0, you do it, as quickly as possible. I don’t care whether I’ve got 65% possession or 55 as long as you’re doing it on the purpose of getting the ball through the lines quickly.”
Evidently, the Spurs hero is very switched on and with that sense of urgency and that level of demand, it is hardly a surprise he has already won two league titles during his early days as a manager.
Of course, Tottenham are not in a position to win trophies right now but like Carrick and Arteta at United and Arsenal, Keane would undoubtedly raise the standards and, crucially, as a man who knows the club, would provide the playing squad and fanbase with an instant boost in morale.
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