New Tottenham manager Igor Tudor is getting ready for a challenging first match against rivals Arsenal but is accustomed to taking over teams mid-season
Igor Tudor has been named as Tottenham’s head coach through to the season’s conclusion. And an Italian football specialist has provided some insight into what supporters can anticipate following the manager’s short stints with Juventus and Lazio.
Following Thomas Frank’s untenable situation, Tudor was brought in to tackle the crisis until the campaign finishes. Spurs are perilously positioned near the drop zone, with their upcoming Premier League fixture being a challenging north London derby at home to rivals Arsenal.
The Croatian has no previous managerial experience in England, though he’s well-versed in taking charge of clubs mid-season. His most recent role was in Turin, where he enjoyed initial success before struggling at the start of the current term.
Daniele Fisichella, an expert on Italian football, observed Tudor’s approach with both Juventus and Lazio, another of his recent clubs. While plenty of fans may be unfamiliar with the 47-year-old prior to his appointment, Fisichella believes matters will progress smoothly.
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Fisichella told football.london: “It’s a great chance for him. It’s a chance to go to the best league in the world, midway through the season, to a team that needs an identity and needs a proverbial kick on the backside, which I’m sure he’s going to give them.
“He’s a manager who is very direct. He’s very honest, open, sometimes perhaps even too much if you like. He always speaks his mind. He might come across as a little bit brash, but I don’t think he will sit on the fence.
“This is a man who can fix you a problem. At Juventus last year, he came in in March and achieved the results. He qualified them for the Champions League, which was what he needed to do. This was in nine games, only losing one.
“When he came to Lazio, they were a team that was doing a slow build-up, keep possession, keep the ball, the players perhaps were not as aggressive. In only a few games he managed to transform Lazio into a much more proactive and pressing side.”
Tudor’s spell with Juventus didn’t conclude on good terms. He was dismissed in October last year following an eight-match winless streak. However, Fisichella believes there were mitigating circumstances behind this collapse. He continued: “There have been some issues with him as well, but I think maybe in the end he was given a bad hand.
“He wanted Juventus to buy a playmaker in the summer and they didn’t. We also have to say that this season, when Tudor was in charge, Juventus had a very, very tough run of fixtures. The expectations perhaps were a bit high, although I think he didn’t help himself with some choices and a bit of confusion.”
What constitutes success for the new Spurs manager is yet to be determined. His team remain in the Champions League and whilst lifting that trophy would be a significant challenge, Fisichella doesn’t dismiss the possibility of Tottenham advancing deeper into the tournament.
“If the aim is to win the Champions League, well, I think Tudor might struggle with that,” he said. “Although potentially there could be a tie with Galatasaray or Juventus in the last 16, so maybe it is not impossible for them to progress.”
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