Tottenham ripped apart by Spanish media and told ‘they should play clown music’ | Football | Sport

Under fire Tottenham Hotspur manager Igor Tudor has been slated by sections of the Spanish media following his team’s 5-2 hammering by Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night. The Croatian’s choice to field Antonin Kinsky between the posts was singled out by journalists, with the boss’s tactical judgement in the Champions League last-16 first-leg clash also receiving severe criticism.

Tudor selected Kinsky ahead of Guglielmo Vicario against Diego Simeone’s outfit. The Czech shot-stopper was culpable for two of the opening three goals, losing his footing and surrendering possession for Marcos Llorente’s early opener, before mishitting a clearance straight to Julian Alvarez for Atleti’s third. In extraordinary circumstances, Tudor then withdrew Kinsky in the 15th minute and failed to even recognise the young goalkeeper as he trudged off the pitch.

Spanish publication AS laid into the former Marseille manager, lambasting Spurs’ overall display and even drew comparisons between Kinsky and Loris Karius, the former Liverpool keeper who notoriously committed two catastrophic mistakes against Real Madrid in the Reds’ 2018 Champions League final loss.

They said: “Tudor’s decision had hit him like a ton of bricks. 1-0. And that was just the appetiser. The main course was soon to come. Because Tottenham is a dead team. A zombie.

“A disgrace. A ghost. A tragedy. Live surrealism. A joke that just won’t do. It doesn’t matter who plays. Whether [Micky] Van de Ven returned to the starting eleven, whether Richarlison played up front or [Conor] Gallagher waited in the wings, or whether Kinsky took over in goal.

“Put on some circus music; there’s no other way to describe what comes next. Kinsky had dressed up as Karius and refused to let go of the disguise. Turn up the volume.”

The Spaniard’s scathing assessment of Tudor’s stewardship didn’t end there. SPORT were equally bewildered by the Spurs’ coach’s call.

They wrote: “Igor Tudor, who surprised everyone with his decision, substituted him in the 17th minute, bringing on Vicario in his place. This move sealed the fate of the young goalkeeper, who was making his debut in the continental competition.”

Questioned about his decision to field Kinsky following the defeat, Tudor admitted: “After you see what happened, for sure, it was the wrong decision.

“But, it was, for me, the right decision to do [before the game], thinking before because, the team, it was a change of competition. Unfortunately, what happened, happened, I’ve never changed a goalkeeper after 30 minutes, but, it was not easy, it happened.”

When asked whether he had spoken to Kinsky after the match, Tudor responded: “It’s normal. We don’t need to comment. It’s not the moment to speak too much.”

He continued:”Very strange, it was unusual, so it took our confidence. Then we restarted. We had a good opportunity to make it 4-2, and then we conceded the goal and it’s 5-1. We apologise to the fans and to everybody.”

Tudor has suffered defeats in all four games he’s overseen at Tottenham so far. The pressure doesn’t ease either, as Spurs are set to face Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday in what could be a pivotal week for the season.

A defeat to the reigning Premier League champions, combined with favourable outcomes for West Ham and Nottingham Forest, could see Spurs plummet into the relegation zone. The Lillywhites will then welcome Atletico for the second leg of the Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday, 18 March.