Igor Tudor is the perfect choice to manage Tottenham (for four months only) - here's why

Thomas Frank may well be the first manager to be sacked simply due to the weight of ‘they can’t, can they?’ whispers as his Tottenham Hotspur side slid inexorably towards the relegation zone, but now it’s Igor Tudor’s mess to clean up.

The Croatian, newly appointed as interim manager in North London, established a reputation as a no-nonsense, tough-tackling defender so he should at least be able to get on the same wavelength as Cristian Romero, but what about the rest of the Spurs team?

Tudor has plenty of experience in top-flight football under his belt, mainly in Italy, and has managed clubs on or just below Tottenham’s level like Juventus, Udinese or Marseille, and typically takes the helm for a good time rather than a long time - which is exactly what Spurs need.

‘Premium Sam Allardyce’ Tudor can improve Spurs straight away

To get the obvious comparison out of the way: like Tottenham, Tudor has won one trophy in the last 17 years. You knew it was coming. But snide jokes aside, there reasons to believe Tudor can turn the tide at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium - at least temporarily.

Something of a premium Sam Allardyce, Tudor has never completed more than one season at a club and he only managed that feat once: at Marseille in 2022/23 when they finished third but well adrift of Lens and Paris Saint-Germain.

That was one of the few times that Tudor has left a club of his own volition and to be fair, his work on the Mediterranean coast looked a lot better 12 months later when four different managers guided Marseille to eighth in a season that was so bad they turned to Mason Greenwood immediately afterwards.

But often the story has been much simpler: great start followed by a rapid loss of form, and a ‘mutual parting of ways’ that doesn’t look very mutual. That was certainly the case in his last stint at Juventus as Tudor led Juventus back to the Champions League but had an underwhelming Club World Cup and was on a winless run of eight games before he was relieved of his duties.

With the second-highest wage bill in Serie A and arguably the league’s biggest star in Kenan Yildiz at his disposal, Tudor’s Juventus were the sixth best team in the division during his tenure in Turin and three defeats in a week ultimately put paid to him.

So as long as Spurs get early Tudor, they should be fine. He’s renowned for quickly implementing an aggressive and effective style of football that should finally shake fans out of their Frank-induced slumber at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Tudor demands his players work hard out of possession (it’s like Conor Gallagher was specially designed in a lab to play for the Croatian) and when his side do win the ball back, his emphasis is getting the ball up the pitch as quickly as possible, usually through the wingers.

It’s a style of play that’s unlikely to unlock the best from Xavi Simons while it’d be perfect for Mohammed Kudus if he wasn’t injured, and could well help Dominic Solanke begin to return to his best Bournemouth form while it should also suit Tottenham’s midfield options who provide more industry than creativity.

This issue with this style is it obviously doesn’t have a spectacularly high long-term ceiling and that’s ultimately the reason that Juventus and most of Tudor’s other clubs have given him the boot. But given he’s only the interim Tottenham manager, that shouldn’t be so much of an issue. Similarly, don’t expect much in the Champions League. Tudor’s limited record there isn’t good and Tottenham’s impressive League Phase record was given a handy boost by their kind draw.

Igor Tudor’s mission in North London

Sitting 11 points from the ‘magic 40-point mark’ that virtually guarantees survival and more realistically two or three wins away from being set to continue their stay in the Premier League, Tottenham just need any kind of bump from their new boss.

The good news for Tudor is he can’t possibly put in a more pitiful North London Derby performance from the dugout than Frank did at the Emirates Stadium in November, though in their current form Tottenham don’t look set to get anything from that game or in truth from their visits to Anfield and Craven Cottage.

But their next five fixtures also include home games against Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest that now look like must-win showdowns. If they do emerge from that run with six points in hand then matches against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leeds United and Brighton & Hove Albion all provide ample opportunity for Spurs to ensure their survival.

Tudor is more than capable of delivering those results and perhaps even springing a surprise against Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea or Aston Villa but after that Tottenham must simply thank him for his service and part ways, targeting one of the plethora of more decorated managers that will be available in the summer. He’s here for a good time, not a long time, remember?

Few words represent a more impactful force on Britain and the nation it is today than ‘Tudor’ - but don’t expect its latest addition to English culture to have anything like the impact even of Henry ‘Harry’ Redknapp, let alone Henry VIII.