Igor Tudor has declared that Tottenham Hotspur are in an 'emergency situation' but has guaranteed the club will avoid relegation. The Croatian manager, appointed last weekend after the sacking of Thomas Frank, inherits a side with only 13 fit senior players and a north London derby against Arsenal on Sunday.
Speaking ahead of the match, Tudor offered a curt '100%' when asked about his confidence in Spurs' survival. The veteran of rescue jobs at Udinese, Verona and Juventus acknowledged the challenges ahead, with 12 league matches remaining and the club five points above the relegation zone. 'What I saw this week was the quality of the players. We have enormous quality in the squad,' he said.
Tudor refused to commit to Tottenham's attacking traditions, citing the need for a pragmatic approach. 'This is an emergency, an emergency situation, when you need to find fast what suits the 10 plus three players and it's totally different,' he explained. 'When you start pre-season... of course then we see the style.'
The 47-year-old admitted he does not study league tables. 'When I coach I never watch the classification. Maybe it sounds strange. I don't watch where we are. It's a process,' he said. 'If you ask me what we are going to see on Sunday, I believe that we are going to see something concrete, something good that the people will like.'
Of Arsenal, Tudor said he has 'big respect for Mikel Arteta who made an amazing team, one of the best in the world... So it is a big challenge for us.' He also outlined his commitment, stating, 'I came here not to visit the city. I have come here to do a job at a very difficult moment for this club.' Tudor will be assisted by Bruno Saltor, with Tomislav Rogic and Riccardo Ragnacci also joining his staff.
Having coached in Serie A, Marseille, Galatasaray and Hajduk Split, Tudor believes his Italian-influenced approach will help. 'Italian football gives you something that maybe some other leagues don't give you. Of course, tactical preparation and I believe they are the best about mentality things,' he said. He called for unity: 'We need to become a team, we need to become a group of the people who are available, who will give something more.'
