Igor Tudor takes charge at Spurs and immediately targets north London derby
Igor Tudor has wasted no time since his clearance to work in the UK, flying into London with his agent and running his first session on Monday as he begins a short, urgent mission: steady a faltering Spurs side and prepare them for Sunday’s north London derby.
Hard-edged start at Hotspur Way
The 47-year-old Croatian addressed the squad on Monday afternoon before leading the first training of his tenure. The message was simple and uncompromising — intensity will be non-negotiable. Players returning from five days off after last Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat were met with a noticeably sharper session than those described as routine in recent weeks.
Tudor’s arrival follows the formalities of a work permit being granted; he landed in the capital with his agent, Anthony Seric, and immediately set about imposing his methods. Club officials have handed him a deal that runs until the end of the season, a clear signal that the remit is focused, short-term and results-driven.
Derby preparations and squad selection headaches
With just a week on the training ground before the trip to Arsenal, Tudor has prioritised organisation and energy. He is known for demanding full commitment in sessions and matches — a sharp contrast to descriptions of previous routines that left players reportedly feeling flat and underserved by slow, overly tactical drills.
Selection questions are already pressing. Spurs are short of central defenders: Cristian Romero is suspended and Kevin Danso is sidelined through injury. Tudor has often favoured a back three in his recent jobs, but whether he will stick to that shape for the derby — or tweak his system to cope with personnel shortages — remains an open question.
A reputation for short-term rescue missions
Tudor arrives with no Premier League experience but with a clear reputation for making immediate impact at clubs who change course mid-season. His CV includes several instances of coming into troubled situations and producing quick, measurable improvement: cup victory in a truncated spell early in his managerial career, steering sides away from relegation, and engineering late pushes into European competitions.
That pattern has earned him a nickname used in some circles: the coach you call when a squad needs to be stabilised and guided to safety. The flip side is a record of brief stays — Tudor rarely completes full campaigns at his stops, prompting questions about whether his methods are best suited to immediate fixes rather than long-term projects. Still, the mandate he has been given here is explicit: improve performances, deliver results and climb the table before the season ends.
On the pitch, the derby is the immediate measuring stick. Tudor’s arrival changes the tenor of the week: training intensity has been ramped up, defensive puzzles must be solved quickly, and a squad that has drifted in recent weeks needs a rapid response. How the team adapts in seven days will say a lot about whether this appointment can produce the short-term lift the club is seeking.
Off the pitch, expectations are pragmatic. The new head coach has emphasised organisation, energy and consistency in public remarks, and the sporting hierarchy has framed his appointment as a challenge specialist brought in to extract the best from the current group. For supporters, the hope is straightforward: a clear, urgent plan that turns a fragile run of form into a string of stabilising results — starting with an emphatic showing in north London.
