Former Premier League manager Slaven Bilic has told Tottenham Hotspur fans what to expect from Igor Tudor ahead of the North London derby against Arsenal.
Tudor was brought in to replace Thomas Frank, who left Tottenham languishing in the bottom half of the table and hovering dangerously close to the relegation zone.
Only five points separate Tottenham from Bilic’s former employers West Ham United in 18th place, and Tudor has been tasked with turning Spurs’ miserable campaign around.
However, he is set to kick off his spell as interim manager with a baptism of fire, with Arsenal visiting the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this weekend.
Nevertheless, Bilic praised his countryman as a “top coach” and tipped him to deliver at Tottenham.
“He’s a top coach,” Bilic told Sky Sports News. “He plays attractive football. He gives players confidence but he demands also a lot from them.
“He likes to bring them out of comfort zone but the fans will love it. He has a strong belief in himself. He has a front-foot mentality, and he plays offensive football, but also very organised.
“The good thing about him is that every coach prefers to come in the beginning of the pre-season so you have time for your ideas to gel with the players.
“But he doesn’t mind coming in this stage of the season. He’s a fixer. He makes a straight impact, and you can see after a week or two that the team is playing the way he wants them to play.
“I’m sure that he’s a really top appointment for Spurs in this moment.”
On the plus side, Tudor has plenty of experience as an interim boss.
Two years ago, he joined Lazio after Maurizio Sarri’s resignation and steered the club to Europa League qualification by finishing seventh.
Last season, he joined Juventus mid-season and ensured they secured Champions League football.
It remains to be seen if Tudor can live up to expectations in England, although Champions League qualification may be well beyond Tottenham’s reach at this stage of the season.