Igor Tudor deliberately avoided saying one word in first Tottenham interview | Football | Sport

Igor Tudor seemed to deliberately steer clear of one particular word during his maiden interview as Tottenham‘s interim head coach.The Croatian delivered a commanding initial address to Spurs supporters in his five-minute club interview on Tuesday and will face the media at his first press conference at Hotspur Way on Friday afternoon ahead of his bow in the dugout for the north London derby on Sunday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Tudor has taken over from Thomas Frank after the Dane was dismissed just seven months into the role, with Tottenham languishing 16th in the Premier League table and merely five points above the relegation zone. The club’s supporters never truly warmed to the former Brentford manager and many pointed back to his opening press conference when he uttered a phrase that would ultimately characterise his spell.

“I promise you one thing, one thing is 100 per cent sure, we will lose football matches,” said the 52-year-old and Spurs did, repeatedly.

It was striking that Tudor did not mention losing or defeats even once during his opening interview and the 47-year-old is likely to avoid any such related words on Friday at his press conference debut.

“Big challenge for me, big honour to be here, I’m very happy,” he said.

“In the same way, I don’t think too much about myself, because I’m focused on work to do. Wherever you go, it’s always about your relationship with the place, with the team, with the town.

“There are a lot of similarities, even if this is like the NBA of European football, this is the best of the best, so it’s a privilege to be here. First priority is to give everything the team needs in these moments.

“The team needs, I believe, first of all to get some confidence, to get some courage, but also in the same way, the concrete things in the pitch.

“Of course, I’m coming here knowing the situation is not easy, there’s no time to find excuses.

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“What I said from the first day here, each of us, each of the players, need to give something, something more, something extra, because the position of the club at this moment is not that anybody can accept.

“Every fan of Tottenham cannot accept the situation. We are aware of that, but it’s not enough to just be aware of that. I like to be positive, I like to play offensive football.

“Of course, that’s my first goal I have, that I like to score the goal, but in the same way, for sure, I need to give organisation in defence, give the clear structure of what you want to play.”

Tudor continued: “I believe that in football, in 2026, it’s changed a lot. It’s changing year by year, so more physical players, let’s say, it’s crucial. If you can run 115 kilometres as a team, it’s better than 105.

“That means that you have one player extra, so there is nothing strange to choose that direction, of course. It’s always about motivated players that understand this thing about running, about the physical aspect of football, which is sometimes not easy.

“But that without quality, you cannot do nothing. So, technical skills, intelligence to see, to recognise the situation, speech is always above everything.

“So, you need to find a mix about both things. And about winning or drawing, that’s true. I never saw the coach who said that he can play for draw. It’s not possible. So, offensive football, yes, but smart. So, that’s the key.”

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