Igor Tudor has admitted that the rescue mission at Tottenham Hotspur is bigger than he first imagined, calling it perhaps the toughest task of his managerial career.
The Croatian stepped into the role last week after the dismissal of Thomas Frank, inheriting a side low on confidence while going through an alarming injury crisis.
Tudor didn’t have the best introduction to English football. His debut ended in a thumping 4-1 defeat in a home North London derby against Arsenal.
That result left Tottenham rooted to 16th place in the Premier League table.
The North Londoners are hovering dangerously above the relegation zone, with just four points separating them from 18th-placed West Ham United.
To make matters worse for Spurs, their East London rivals have put together a decent run of form and are building momentum at a crucial point in the season.
The North London derby defeat extended Tottenham’s winless streak to nine Premier League games (D4, L5). In fact, Spurs have won just two of their last 18 league games (D6, L10).
The Europa League holders are now gearing up for another tricky London derby against Fulham at Craven Cottage, and Tudor is aware of the mammoth task that awaits him.
“Probably yes, I agree with you,” he said during his pre-match press conference when asked if the job is more difficult than he expected.
“If I recognise the difficulties, they are probably, yes, probably, yes. But it’s an even bigger challenge, you know, even a bigger motivation to do this, and we do it, but I agree with you.”
Injuries have made Tudor’s task even more challenging. However, the situation eased up this week with Pedro Porro and Kevin Danso returning to training.
Even so, the Croatian manager will be without nine players for the trip to Fulham, with captain Cristian Romero still serving a four-match suspension.