TUDOR’S ITALIAN METHOD: CAN THE FORMER JUVENTUS BOSS REPLICATE HIS UDINESE RELEGATION RESCUE?
Crisis at Spurs: Discover if Igor Tudor can save Tottenham from relegation after a brutal 4-1 North London derby defeat.
Igor Tudor doesn’t have time to settle in. If he wants to keep Spurs from going down, he needs to turn things around quickly.
His first game was always going to be a tough one. Replacing the sacked Thomas Frank, Tudor watched his new side get hammered 4-1 at home by bitter rivals Arsenal.
Any hope of a surprise result vanished fast, with both Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres, whom Spurs once tried to sign, scoring two each. The loss leaves Tottenham in serious trouble.
Like last season, they’ve done well in Europe but just can’t match that form in the Premier League. Now they’re stuck near the bottom, and this time, it’s a real fight just to stay up.
Tottenham, part of the so-called ‘big six', sit on 29 points. That’s only four above the drop zone and just two ahead of Nottingham Forest in 17th place. They haven’t won a single game in 2026.
Frank got the boot in February; after a miserable run, he left with a win rate of just 26.9 per cent. The club called in Tudor, the former Juventus manager, hoping he could turn things around and keep them in the top flight.
Sam Allardyce, who’s made a career out of keeping clubs up, had some advice when he spoke to Alan Brazil on talkSPORT. Before the north London derby, he said, “Everyone thinks it’s negative to focus on defending, but when you’re struggling, that’s the most important thing. If you’re not scoring much, the only way to survive is to stop conceding. That’s why teams like Tottenham and Forest are down there; they let in too many goals. And honestly, that’s the easier thing to fix as a coach.”
He made it clear that finding goals is the real challenge. “You need a proper finisher, someone like Jermain Defoe or Christian Benteke. When we stayed up at Palace and Sunderland, those guys made the difference.”
Right now, Spurs just don’t have that. Richarlison leads the league scoring with seven goals, but injuries have kept him on the sidelines most of the season. After him? It’s centre-backs Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, both with four goals each. Forwards like Mathys Tel, Randal Kolo Muani, and Dominic Solanke haven’t delivered the goals Tottenham desperately needs.
Compare that to Allardyce’s old teams: Defoe scored 15 league goals for Sunderland when they survived in 2015/16. Benteke hit the same number for Palace in 2016/17 again with Allardyce in charge.
Spurs’ problems aren’t just up front, though. They’ve shipped 41 goals in 27 league games, with a minus-four goal difference. The crazy part? They’ve scored just one goal fewer than Aston Villa, who sit third and have 38 goals. The difference is, Villa actually keep the ball out of their own net.
Tudor knows a thing or two about keeping teams up; he once saved Udinese from dropping to Serie B. He’s managed Juventus, Galatasaray, and Marseille. But this is his first go at the Premier League, and the fixtures coming up are brutal.
Tottenham travel to Fulham on March 2nd, a team chasing Europe themselves. Then it’s Crystal Palace at home, followed by a trip to Anfield to face Liverpool. And after all that, a massive, must-win clash against Nottingham Forest on March 22nd.
Tudor’s got his work cut out.
DERBY OUTRAGE: PETER BANKES DOUBLES DOWN ON DISALLOWED KOLO MUANI GOAL DESPITE MASSIVE CRITICISM
Referee verdict: Discover why Peter Bankes disallowed Kolo Muani’s goal and Keith Hackett’s "stupid and soft" reaction.
Referee Peter Bankes stood by his call to disallow Randal Kolo Muani’s equaliser in the North London derby, calling it “a very, very clear offence.”
The moment sparked outrage. Gabriel, Arsenal’s defender, hit the deck after Muani’s challenge in the box. Former Premier League referees’ chief Keith Hackett didn’t hold back, calling the decision “stupid and soft".
Bankes didn’t hesitate. He blew for a foul, ruled out the goal, and VAR stayed out of it, even as Spurs fans fumed. That goal would’ve levelled it at 2-2.
Bankes explained on the Match Officials Mic’d Up show: “I was exactly where I needed to be for a cross from the right. I saw the Tottenham player put two hands into the back of the Arsenal player. That’s what grabbed my attention. When you see that live, it looks like a straightforward push – a clear foul.
“I held off on the whistle to let play run, then made the call after the ball went in. That way, VAR could step in if I’d missed something or if it looked off. But honestly, on the pitch, it looked obvious.
“I’m still comfortable with my decision. Sure, things can look different at different speeds; slow motion isn’t the same as seeing it live. But I got one look, and I was confident the two hands on the back had enough impact to be a foul.
“I know people will split on this, but I’m comfortable. That’s a free kick for me.”
The decision was a huge break for Arsenal, who ended up winning 4-1. As far as Spurs fans were concerned, Gabriel got away with one.
Ex-Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher backed Bankes up: “The on-field decision always stands. The ref saw enough for a push. VAR isn’t going to overturn that when the evidence is there.”
THE GIBBS-WHITE PROJECT: WHY MANCHESTER UNITED SEE THE FOREST STAR AS THEIR NEXT PLAYMAKER
United transfer hub. Get the report on wage bill cuts, the Forest playmaker, and City’s rival interest.
Manchester United still have a bit of a wait before the summer transfer window opens, but talk around Old Trafford is already heating up. People keep linking United with all kinds of new signings for when the season wraps up.
Michael Carrick has made quite the impression as United’s interim head coach so far. The club handed him the reins until the end of the season, and honestly, he’s done well with the opportunity.
Still, no one really knows who’ll be in charge next season. That uncertainty just adds fuel to the rumours about which players United will chase in the transfer market.
Right now, everything hinges on Champions League qualification. United sit fourth in the Premier League after a 1-0 win over Everton on Monday night. That spot could make all the difference for summer plans.
Morgan Gibbs-White's claim
Now, United have reportedly joined the hunt for Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White. The Daily Mail says United are keeping an eye on the Forest playmaker, maybe even lining up a summer move.
But there’s a snag: United want to bring down their wage bill, and that could make signing Gibbs-White tricky.
Manchester City are also said to be interested, and Tottenham apparently tried to sign the 26-year-old with a £60 million offer, but that move fell apart.
Man United's Scott McTominay stance
As for Scott McTominay, it sounds like United aren’t planning a reunion. Despite recent talk about bringing the Napoli midfielder back, TEAMtalk reports United aren’t interested, and the idea hasn’t even come up in the recruitment department.
Napoli now values McTominay at close to £70 million, just a year and a half after he left United for around £25 million. He made the move to Italy in the summer of 2024 and, in his first season, helped Napoli win the Serie A title.
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