Spurs were told ‘I can do it’ by Prem winner ready to replace Tudor | Football | Sport

The season deteriorated from dreadful to catastrophic on Tuesday after a 5-2 thrashing in the Spanish capital, Tudor’s fourth defeat in as many matches in charge. The first leg of their last-16 tie concluded disastrously as Atletico netted four goals within the opening 22 minutes, three of which resulted from defensive blunders. Back-up goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky was withdrawn after 17 minutes following two calamitous errors that led to goals. And with morale evidently shattered at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, supporters will recall Sherwood’s self-endorsement when Thomas Frank was dismissed last month.

“It was an honour for me to manage that football club, and it would be an honour for me to manage them again,” he told Sky Sports in February. “I can do the job. I have proved that I can do the job. What they can’t do is make a mistake with this appointment.”

Nevertheless, the 57-year-old, who won the Premier League as a Blackburn player in 1995, proceeded to recognise just how improbable it was he would genuinely receive the call. Sherwood was among the longest-odds candidates available at the time, and his prospects may be even more remote today.

He continued: “I’m 50/1, so there’s no chance really… but maybe it’s not sexy enough, I might have too much of a personality for that hierarchy. If you look at what I did when I went in there, I did the job.

“I did the job I was asked to do and won more games than losses. My home record was excellent as well. I played on the front foot. Forget how you’re going to play in this situation, they need to win, no matter how you play, you need to win.”

Sherwood proceeded to emphasise the significance of confidence, which Spurs are severely lacking at present. This was abundantly clear in the Atletico collapse as a succession of farcical defensive errors destroyed their prospects in a flash.

They sit 16th in the Premier League, just one point above 18th-placed West Ham, who are enjoying much better form. Former Juventus and Marseille manager Tudor is already facing speculation about his departure after just 360 minutes in the dugout.

Speaking ahead of the Atletico fixture, Sherwood told Sky: “I think he’s been slapped straight in the face by the competition in the Premier League. It ain’t easy. This is a tough competition.

“He looks lost at times on the touchline; he knew nothing about it. He’s gone from, ‘I 100 per cent guarantee we spend next season in the Premier League,’ to ‘The players are not fit enough, we’re not good in attack, we’re not good in the middle, we’re not good at the back, we need our injured players back to fitness.'”

The ex-Spurs midfielder urged the Croat to “get on with what you’ve got” and focus on devising a strategy around those players who are fit and ready. With tensions running high in north London, the emphasis should be on boosting player morale and “giving them a cuddle,” rather than berating those not performing as expected.

Spurs face a colossal task in trying to overturn their result against Atletico in next week’s second leg at home. Before that, however, there’s the minor issue of a visit to Premier League champions Liverpool on Sunday.