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.
ALAN SHEARER NAMES MAN CITY CLEAR FAVORITES FOR THE 2026 PREMIER LEAGUE TITLE CROWN
Manchester City beat Arsenal 2-1. Alan Shearer discusses why the title race is now firmly in City’s hands.
Alan Shearer came away really impressed by how Arsenal played against Manchester City, but he thinks their earlier slip-up against Bournemouth could end up being what costs them the Premier League title.
City closed the gap to just three points behind Arsenal with a 2-1 win in Sunday’s big clash, with Erling Haaland bagging the winner at the Etihad. Kai Havertz managed to pull Arsenal back into the game after a disastrous mistake by Gianluigi Donnarumma, and that was right after Rayan Cherki had given City the lead with a bit of magic.
Havertz had a golden chance to equalise late on after Eberechi Eze hit the post, but he couldn’t finish it. You could see the frustration on the faces of the Arsenal players; they’ll be kicking themselves for missing those chances in the days ahead.
The win puts City in a great position. They have a game in hand, and if they beat struggling Burnley at Turf Moor on Wednesday, they’ll go top of the table. Arsenal, meanwhile, are back at home on Saturday against Newcastle, and with just one win in their last six games, it’s hard to see that as anything other than a must-win for them.
Shearer didn’t hold back when he talked about Arsenal’s performance. On The Rest Is Football podcast, he said, “Where was this last weekend against Bournemouth?" Where was this fight, this urgency? Because honestly, I think that’s the game that’ll haunt them, not today. They were flat against Bournemouth. Against City, though, they looked sharp. You can’t really complain about how they played this time; they took the game to City, created loads, and really gave it a go. It was a brilliant match.”
Shearer still thinks City are now the clear favourites for the title, but he fully expects more drama before it’s all over. “Arsenal had their moments. They missed some huge chances, Havertz’s header at the end, that one-on-one, but you have to back City now. Look at the past month or so: the teams they’ve beaten, the way they’ve played. But I still don’t believe both City and Arsenal will win all their remaining games. There’s bound to be another twist.”
On a lighter note, Shearer joked that at least Arsenal won’t have it too tough next weekend, coming up against a Newcastle side stuck in a four-game losing streak. “Look, if only football were that simple, everyone just winning every match, it’d be boring. I’ve been in those title races myself; I know how tense it gets. It never goes perfectly for anyone. The one positive for Arsenal is that they’ve got Newcastle next, and they’re in terrible form. That’s something to hold onto.”
When asked if City should be considered the outright favourites now, Shearer didn’t hesitate: “Yeah, definitely. They’ve got a game in hand; they’re on a roll; they’ve got the momentum. They’re favourites now, no doubt about it.”
ROBERTO DE ZERBI ISSUES BOLD CLAIM, BACKING WINLESS SPURS TO WIN REMAINING FIVE GAMES
Tottenham suffer late 2-2 draw against Brighton. Read why Roberto De Zerbi believes they can still avoid relegation.
Tottenham let three crucial points slip away on Saturday, conceding a late equaliser to Brighton. Spurs looked set for a win after Xavi Simons put them 2-1 up in the 77th minute, but a Kevin Danso error handed Georginio Rutter the chance to score five minutes into stoppage time.
That goal stung. Spurs could’ve moved out of the relegation zone, at least for a day or two, since Nottingham Forest and West Ham weren’t playing until later in the weekend.
The draw also means Robert De Zerbi is still waiting for his first win as Spurs boss, though at least he’s finally earned his first point. Right now, Tottenham sits just one point from safety, but if results go the wrong way, they could be four points adrift by the end of the gameweek.
If Spurs want to survive, they have to start winning. Next up is a must-win against the bottom club Wolves. Nothing less will do, especially with tough games against Aston Villa, Leeds United, Chelsea, and Everton closing out the season.
De Zerbi Clearly Rates Simons
Big performances from key players are Spurs’ only way out, and Xavi Simons is right at the heart of that. De Zerbi was impressed with what he saw from the Dutch midfielder against Brighton.
“He played very well. "A great game", De Zerbi told football.london. “I think he can get even better, because a player like this needs to feel confidence from the manager. I’m here to give him all the confidence he needs.
“When I played, I was a number 10 myself, so I understand what he’s thinking. I think I’m lucky to have him, but he’s lucky too, because as a former number 10, I might understand him better than most coaches.”
Simons has six goals and seven assists this season. If he keeps those numbers climbing in the last few matches, Spurs have a real shot at staying up, especially since Kulusevski and Kudus are still out. The good news? James Maddison is fit again after a bad knee injury in preseason, and he’s set to return in the next week or so.
Must Read
_1776624536.webp)
