Interim manager Igor Tudor has challenged Tottenham Hotspur players to respond with resilience as the club battles to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
Tudor, 47, has endured a difficult start to his tenure, overseeing four consecutive defeats—including three in the league—since replacing Thomas Frank on February 14.
The poor run has left Spurs just one point above the relegation zone ahead of Sunday’s trip to face defending champions Liverpool FC at Anfield, raising the prospect of the club’s first top-flight relegation since 1977.
Tottenham’s struggles were further exposed in Tuesday’s 5–2 defeat to Atlético Madrid, during which they conceded four goals in the opening 22 minutes.
“Not an easy situation, not an easy moment. [It’s a] big challenge to change things,” Tudor told reporters on Friday.
“Like everything in life, you can choose how to see the situation. You can cry or you can fight. You can be the victim or you can change something. This is the message I communicated to the players.
“The bottle is either half empty or half full. Here there is nothing full, there are a lot of empty things.
“But difficult moments don’t last forever. It will pass. I believe the players who take this as an opportunity, who stand up with the courage to change these things, will become better people and players afterwards.”
Tudor’s appointment was partly based on his strong short-term record at previous clubs, including Juventus FC, but the Croatian coach has yet to reverse Tottenham’s fortunes.
Spurs have now lost their last six matches in all competitions and have not recorded a Premier League victory since December 28.
The club’s owners, ENIC Group, said this week they would not intervene in decisions regarding Tudor’s immediate future, leaving such matters to the club’s executive leadership.
“It is about all of us,” Tudor said.
“In the last period, a lot of things were said about what is [wrong with] the club, the problems, [that] no one can do [anything] like we were victims.
“I said this morning to the players totally opposite things. We are the team and we are the staff. It’s all about us.”
Defender Micky van de Ven earlier described Tottenham’s disastrous start in Madrid as a “doomsday scenario.”
The chaotic opening period also led to young goalkeeper Antonín Kinský being substituted just 17 minutes into his Champions League debut—a decision that drew criticism.
Responding to questions about the goalkeeper’s future involvement, Tudor expressed confidence in the player.
“He will play for sure. He came back the day after and was very good and positive in training. Nothing else. This is probably the first and last time that this happened in my life, and the life of a lot of people.
“It is the same message that I had before. You can go out and be the victim. Everyone was sending messages of help and ‘I am with you’ and this is nice also.
“He will for sure in his career make other mistakes, but I think he has the strength and quality in front of him to have a very good career.”
Tottenham must now regroup ahead of Sunday’s clash with Liverpool at Anfield—a venue where they have conceded 17 goals in their last four visits across all competitions.
After their return leg against Atlético Madrid, Spurs face another crucial fixture at home against relegation rivals Nottingham Forest FC.
Tudor’s task has been complicated by a lengthy injury list, with key players including Cristian Romero and João Palhinha among 13 first-team players unavailable for the Liverpool clash following a midweek collision of heads.
Midfielder Yves Bissouma is also injured, while Conor Gallagher remains a doubt due to illness.
Van de Ven will miss the match through suspension after his red card against Crystal Palace FC, while players such as James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Rodrigo Bentancur and Mohammed Kudus are long-term absentees.
“We have a lot of problems to make the first 11. This is how it is at this club. It happens all the time. We start to build something and then something happens like a red card in the last game or three or four injuries,” Tudor said.
“It is very rare, I have never had this situation in my career. It is very unusual but you have to accept this and try and change the things we can change.”
