Tottenham Hotspur has appointed Igor Tudor as head coach until the end of the season, gearing up for a tough north London derby against Arsenal. The Croatian manager brings experience in mid-season rescues, having previously turned around clubs in Italy.
Tudor’s Mid-Season Track Record
Tudor steps in amid a challenging campaign for Spurs, who sit near the relegation zone. His upcoming Premier League clash at home to rivals Arsenal marks a high-stakes debut in English football. Although new to the Premier League, Tudor excels at injecting new life into teams halfway through the season.
His latest roles include stints at Juventus and Lazio. At Juventus, he arrived in March last year and secured Champions League qualification in just nine games, suffering only one loss. At Lazio, he shifted the team from a possession-based style to a more aggressive, pressing approach in a matter of matches.
Italian Football Specialist’s Take
Daniele Fisichella, an expert on Italian football who followed Tudor’s tenures closely, views the appointment positively. “It’s a great chance for him,” Fisichella stated. “It’s a chance to go to the best league in the world, midway through the season, to a team that needs an identity and needs a proverbial kick on the backside, which I’m sure he’s going to give them.”
Fisichella describes Tudor as direct and honest. “He’s very direct. He’s very honest, open, sometimes perhaps even too much. He always speaks his mind. He might come across as a little bit brash, but I don’t think he will sit on the fence.”
The specialist highlights Tudor’s problem-solving ability: “This is a man who can fix you a problem.”
Challenges and Context from Juventus
Tudor’s Juventus spell ended abruptly in October after an eight-match winless run. Fisichella points to external factors: “There have been some issues with him as well, but I think maybe in the end he was given a bad hand. He wanted Juventus to buy a playmaker in the summer and they didn’t. We also have to say that this season, when Tudor was in charge, Juventus had a very, very tough run of fixtures. The expectations perhaps were a bit high, although I think he didn’t help himself with some choices and a bit of confusion.”
Prospects for Success at Spurs
Defining success for Tudor at Tottenham remains open-ended. The team still competes in the Champions League, and Fisichella sees potential for deeper progress. “If the aim is to win the Champions League, well, I think Tudor might struggle with that,” he noted. “Although potentially there could be a tie with Galatasaray or Juventus in the last 16, so maybe it is not impossible for them to progress.”
