Ian Wright has sparked controversy by suggesting that some of Tottenham Hotspur's biggest stars are already unwilling to give new interim manager Igor Tudor a fair chance, following an incident where defender Micky Van de Ven appeared to blank him during the recent north London derby.
Tudor's Challenging Start at Spurs
Appointed earlier this month after the overdue sacking of Thomas Frank, Tudor arrived with the daunting task of ensuring that Spurs avoid relegation at the end of the season. The Europa League champions currently languish in 16th place, just four points above 18th-placed West Ham, making Tudor's mission all the more critical.
His arrival in the capital was made no easier by his first match in charge being the highly charged north London derby against Arsenal. As Spurs suffered a dismal 4-1 defeat at home, Tudor was spotted apparently giving vocal instructions to Van de Ven from the sidelines, only for the defender to fail to acknowledge him.
Wright's Troubling Observation
For Arsenal legend Ian Wright, this lack of engagement from the players was a deeply troubling sign. Speaking on The Overlap's Stick To Football podcast, Wright detailed the moment, stating, 'Against Arsenal, I saw Igor Tudor try to speak to Van de Ven, he blanked him, totally blanked him. That says to me they have checked out already.'
While Gary Neville thought Wright's verdict was 'harsh' and Roy Keane argued that the players 'did that with' Frank, Wright remained steadfast. He continued, 'This guy is new, he wants him to come up and Van de Ven just looks at him and stays there. You think to yourself, that doesn't look good. That does not look good.'
Tudor Denies Any Conflict
In response, Tudor denied any conflict between himself and Van de Ven during his pre-Premier League weekend press conference on Thursday afternoon. He clarified, 'If you watch carefully, I don't speak to him (in that moment). Afterwards, I said to him to come closer, and he comes closer. We didn't talk about it because nothing happened. He's a fantastic professional and a fantastic guy, he would not do something like (ignoring me).'
Martinez's Warning for Spurs
Belgium head coach Roberto Martinez, who has experience with relegation battles from his time at Wigan, stressed that Tudor's first order of business should be 'accepting where they are' at this stage in the campaign. He explained, 'When I was at Wigan you almost prepared for that last third of the season because that is your opportunity. The last third for us was that we are going to get out of trouble.'
Martinez warned that the problem arises when a club goes into the final third hoping not to get dragged down, rather than being prepared. He emphasized, 'The moment that the club see it as "wow, if we don't win..." - the mindset is so negative and it drags you down. We have seen teams that are "too good to go down" go down because they weren't prepared for that final third of the season.'
Injury Woes and Mindset Challenges
Spurs' torrid winter has been exacerbated by a number of injuries to key players, leaving their squad painfully short. However, Martinez cautioned against relying on the return of stars to change fortunes. He added, 'I think Spurs will get one or two players back from injury, you win a game and then you have got too much (of a gap). The problem is there are no easy games in the Premier League. As a player at Spurs you might think there are easy games we can win, no - there are no easy games.'
He advised reducing the focus to the next game, viewing it as an opportunity to gain points rather than a must-win scenario that breeds negativity.
Looking Ahead to Fulham Clash
Spurs will stay in London for their next Premier League test, travelling to Craven Cottage to play Fulham on Sunday. This match presents a crucial opportunity for Tudor to begin turning the tide and for the players to demonstrate their commitment to the new interim manager's leadership.
The stop-gap manager faces a challenging task in keeping Spurs from the drop, and his reign began with a dismal north London derby. As the season progresses, all eyes will be on whether Tudor can rally the squad and avoid the relegation battle that looms large over the club.
