As announced on the 14th of February 2026, Igor Tudor has been appointed by Spurs as head coach on a four month contract. The 47 year old has been without a club since he was sacked by Juventus in October of last year. The question on the tip of Spurs fans tongues is what can he bring to the club and how will he ensure their safety?
The Croatian does have quite an attacking mindset, something fans were crying out for after Thomas Frank’s slow, sideways and backwards buildup. He imposes an aggressive style on his team and likes a quick and high press. Whilst this is something that fans will enjoy seeing, it does add greater injury risk to an already depleted squad with this added demand on players. Whilst managing Marseille, he said he wants “people who come to the stadium to be entertained and not disappointed”, something Tottenham fans experienced little of under Thomas Frank. From his last five jobs, Tudor boasts a win rate of 41.67% at Juventus, 54.55% at Lazio, 56.25% at Marseille, 38.89% at Hellas Verona and 50% at Hadjuk Split.
With it being just a four month contract, many expect the short term goal to be safety, and are anticipating a potential return of Mauricio Pochettino after this summer’s world cup. So despite it being just for the end of the current campaign, how can Lilly Whites fans expect to see their Tottenham side set up? Typically, Igor Tudor favours a 3421 formation, a steady back three, wingbacks, two centre midfielders and a dynamic front three. With the personnel at the club, it feels like something that could work effectively in the short term. Excluding those that are injured or unavailable, it would suggest a back three of Micky Van de Ven, Radu Dragusin and Joao Palinha in front of goalkeeper, Vicario. The four across the middle would likely be new man, Souza, at left wingback, with Djed Spence operating at right wingback. The centre midfield partnership is where there are a few more options of fit players, with likely two of Pape Matar Sarr, Connor Gallagher, Yves Bissouma or Archie Gray being selected. The front three is likely to consist of ever improving Xavi Simons, Dominic Solanke through the middle, and either Randal Kolo Muani or Mathys Tel completing the front three. This is with many of Tottenham’s key players still sidelined through injury or suspension, including captain, Christian Romero, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Lucas Bergvall, Kevin Danso, Mohamed Kudus and Wilson Odobert, Destiny Udogie and Pedro Porro just to name a few.
The new man’s attacking style has potential to shine under this formation and lineup. With Joao Palinha in the back three, he is comfortable on the ball to support attacks, whilst protecting the backline with his tough tackling and defensive work rate. The middle four will be key, with width being provided by Spence and Souza playing high and getting crosses into the box, something that has worked well for Spurs this year, with both Romero and Van de Ven scoring a hatful, having only scored less than Richarlison in this Tottenham side. The midfield partnership will be expected to work very hard off the ball, whilst playing plenty of progressive passes to create chances for the front three. These three will be the key in Igor Tudor’s Tottenham. A high press will be deployed, something that Dominic Solanke has always exceled at, which has been key to Tottenham’s style in the past two seasons. It also gives Xavi Simons plenty of creative freedom, and as he consistently is improving week on week, that should continue. Given the reigns, Tudor could inflict a very effective, attacking system on this Spurs team, something they’ve missed after Postecoglou was sacked. Whilst it is only a short term plan, it could be set to get the fans back on side in a huge end to the season for the club.
With survival for Tottenham being an absolute necessity, Tudor’s main goal will be keeping the club up. Whilst this is the priority, Spurs are also still in the Champions League, with a home second leg in the last 16 confirmed, as well as a home second leg if they advance to the quarter final. Despite a somewhat unconvincing record in his previous management roles, his coaching style does seem to be a good fit for this struggling Spurs side. He will first take charge in next Sundays North London Derby, in a match that promises to be a cracker.
