Igor Tudor’s first interview as Tottenham Hotspur’s new short-term manager has won support from an already disillusioned fan base.
Croatian tactician He was appointed on Saturday to take charge of Spurs for the remainder of the 2025/26 season. There was no time wasted in establishing something new. The offensive mental framework for a team currently languishing in 16th place.
Download the official CaughtOffSide app to get all the latest news and updates straight to your phone. above apple & Google play
Igor Tudor says he wants to win in his first interview as Tottenham manager
Stepping into the high-pressure environment of north London, Tudor delivered a clear, uncompromising message that resonated with supporters fed up with defensive weakness.
“We want to win,” Tudor said during the unveiling (source: spurs watch). “You can’t go into a game looking for a draw. We go on the field to win. We don’t prepare the game for a draw. My focus is clear: bring consistency to our performance and play with belief in every game.”
Tudor, who has been signed on an interim contract until the end of the season, is tasked with halting Spurs’ dismal run of just two wins in their last 17 league games.
His debut match will be a baptism of fire. Next Sunday is a North London derby against league leaders Arsenal.
A striking contrast to Thomas Frank’s defeatist comments
Prime Minister Tudor’s front-footed rhetoric contrasts sharply with the tone set by his predecessor Thomas Frank.
The Danish manager, who was sacked on Wednesday after just eight months in charge, has frequently drawn the ire of fans with prospects seen as defeatist.
At his inauguration, Frank famously told the media, “We’re going to lose the game,” a sentiment meant to dampen expectations but ultimately alienated a crowd accustomed to the motto “If you dare, you should.”
“I promise you one thing, 100% certain, we will lose the football game,” he said.
Frank’s bearish comments and references to Arsenal set the tone for his disastrous tenure at Spurs.
He failed to win over fans from the start, and missteps like drinking from an Arsenal-branded coffee cup didn’t help either.
Frank’s pragmatism worked at Brentford, but he failed to inspire a ‘big club’ mentality at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where he had the lowest goals per game rate (1.12) of any Spurs manager in the Premier League.
