17 minutes of pure chaos in Madrid that may have decided the fate of Tottenham Hotspur manager Igor Tudor.
Have you ever seen something like this? Spurs were 3-0 down within 15 minutes against Atletico. Two disastrous mistakes by goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky saw him withdraw from his Champions League debut before even a quarter of the game had been played.
The Lilywhites may have played something that will come back with Pedro Porro and Dominic Solanke but they still lost 5-2, which put Tudor under pressure.
The Croatian was brought in to steady the ship after the tumultuous reign of Thomas Frank but now they look even worse. Spurs are looking to get out of Europe, but more worryingly, they look favorites to be relegated from the Premier League.
So, is there likely to be another change on the board?
Who could replace Igor Tudor at Spurs?
When Tottenham’s management decided to bring in the Croat on a temporary basis, they did so knowing that a number of their first options were unavailable. Therefore, they decided to play for a short time.
|
Tudor’s Spurs dominate so far |
|
|---|---|
|
Games |
4 |
|
It wins |
0 |
|
Drawings |
0 |
|
Defeat |
4 |
|
Goals were scored |
5 |
|
Goals scored |
14 |
Mauricio Pochettino, who is thought to be the frontrunner for this vacancy, will not be going anywhere before he leads the United States of America at the World Cup on home soil this summer.
Regarding the former manager of Brighton and Marseille, Roberto De Zerbi, discussions have been held but it is reported that he is not interested in taking another role now until the summer. He is a wise man at that.
So, who is the man for the job right now? Well, it could be Spurs striker Robbie Keane.
That’s according to TEAMtalk, which reports that Tudor is set for the sack after going on a four-game winless streak. They note that Keane is the team’s ‘preferred’ option to get them out of the mess they are in.
Graeme Bailey, a columnist for TEAMtalk, was asked about the matter and said: “The club officials are now in discussions as they have decided that Tudor will win until after the second game against Atletico…
“As of right now the club is still working on the selection process to replace Igor Tudor – the management knows that the club did not respond to Tudor as they had hoped. Robbie Keane has been spoken to, but he is also wanted by Crystal Palace and is being linked to Celtic, as the summer approaches.”
Why Robbie Keane is the man for the job
In fact, any manager who came in at Spurs right now would be a complete lunatic. Do you really want to be put down on your CV with one of the most established clubs in the Premier League?
On the contrary, this can be an opportunity to become a hero and build something special.
While bringing in a third campaign manager wouldn’t be ideal, he feels a change needs to be made. Under Tudor, Spurs will be relegated; something has to happen.
Well, in Keane, they can appoint their own Michael Carrick, or dare we say it, their own Mikel Arteta. By that we mean a former player who will come back to save the club.
Carrick worked wonders as interim manager of Manchester United, clearing away the rubble of Ruben Amorim’s disastrous era and laying the foundations for brighter times. United currently sit third in the Premier League and have lost just once during their reign.
Arteta’s story of renewal at Arsenal has been very special. Although the Gunners have not won a trophy since the FA Cup in 2020, the Spaniard has ensured that Spurs’ noisy neighbors have been in contention for the title in each of the last four campaigns.
All current managers in the 2025/26 Premier League are listed
All current Premier League managers ranked from best to worst.
While it would be simplistic to suggest that Keane will put Tottenham in the position of winning the league, he has experience of winning the cup in recent years.
Like Carrick and Arteta, he is on the rise and firmly establishing himself as one of the brightest young managers, winning the league in Israel with Maccabi Tel Aviv and taking the Hungarian top flight title with Ferencvaros again.
In Hungary, Keane’s stock has soared. While playing as a four-back with Maccabi, he favored a 3-5-2 formation with Ferencvaros, showing a level of tactical flexibility not seen during the reigns of Ange Postecoglou and Frank.
That said, there is something of Ange-ball in the Irishman’s philosophy. Speaking back in 2021, the Spurs icon explained his coaching philosophy and favorite tactics.
He said: “It’s very aggressive about football. I’ve always played in teams that played very well, and always a good football team, I played for Tottenham for eight years as you know, Tottenham is a football team. They have a certain style. Play at the back, play in the lines quickly. That’s something I’m big on.”
That should be music to the fans’ ears. He knows Spurs’ style and that could be very important in their bid to stay in the division.
Explaining in detail how he wants his teams to play in 2024, the player who once played for the Republic of Ireland said: “The way I played was to play as far back as possible, but don’t be stupid. I told my midfield players if you keep passing each other, I will take you out. Because they pass each other just because they want to pass.
“Pass with purpose, I always said to the defenders. If you see six or you see eight free, immediately, pass to them. I don’t care if we are 1-0 up, 2-0 up, 0-0, you do it, as soon as possible. I don’t care if I get 65% possession or 55 as long as you make the balls as soon as you hit the ball.”
Obviously, the Spurs hero has changed a lot and with that sense of urgency and that level of demand, it’s no surprise that he has won two league titles in his first few days as manager.
Of course, Tottenham are not in a position to win trophies at the moment but like Carrick and Arteta at United and Arsenal, Keane can undoubtedly raise the standards and, more importantly, as a man who knows the club, he can give the playing team and the fan base an immediate boost in morale.
Completed 1 pass all night: The Spurs flop now looks as finished as Kinsky
Tottenham Hotspur reached a new nadir following a crazy first-half display in Madrid.
