Igor Tudor loses all four games as Tottenham manager (Image: Getty)
It can’t get any worse than this, right? In the iconic words of Mick McCarthy, it is possible. Of course it’s possible, this is Tottenham after all. “This is Tottenham’s history,” Giorgio Chiellini said in March 2018. The history Spurs are currently building is one that schools would be too embarrassed to teach to future generations. Their ability to self-destruct is amazing at this point. Do you think Crystal Palace was no good last Thursday? It was nothing.
At least they still had two legs left in the Champions League, which was more of a temporary distraction from the misery of the Premier League than something to look forward to. But once this is over, ticket-holding Spurs fans will be forgiven if they choose not to attend the second leg. They can’t overturn a three-point lead. Igor Tudor was lucky that this match was not played at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. After 30 minutes, it would have been like playing behind closed doors.
14 minutes and 59 seconds is the fastest time a team has led by three goals in a Champions League knockout stage match. It is also the first time in history that Atleti have scored four goals in the first half of a Champions League match. Twelve seconds after Richarlison should have made it 4-2 in the 54th minute, Atletico took a 5-1 lead with a lightning counter-attack. Shoot yourself in the foot? The Spurs routinely put the double-barrelled shotgun on their stuff and blow everything up. Then they aim for the opposite leg just in case.
Atlético certainly have some great players, but they are also a team that has lost 10 of their last 43 games this season. They lost away to Liverpool and Arsenal in the league. There wasn’t even a top scorer on the pitch until the 69th minute. Still, the Spurs made them feel like world hitters.
Atlético’s lead was almost entirely due to Spurs’ mistakes. It was the same defeat at the weekend against Crystal Palace. Tottenham’s hierarchy no longer has a choice. Tudor could have been sacked after the defeat to Palace, even if he had been in charge for less than three weeks. Now, just 24 days later, it’s time to admit that this gamble backfired. they got it wrong.
Tudor’s Spurs have conceded 14 goals in four games. He has scored three or more goals in three of those games. Is there any discussion about keeping him at this point? Except, of course, that firing a manager after just four games is extremely cruel. Just 360 minutes of soccer.
There’s probably an argument to be made that the next manager won’t get much more out of the Spurs side. There’s only so much you can do against a group of players who see a big red button that says “self-destruct” and press it at every opportunity. They don’t learn from their mistakes. They are Dory’s football team in Finding Nemo. Their lack of leadership is astonishing.
Tottenham lost in Madrid (Image: Getty)
Tottenham had a miserable night in the Spanish capital (Image: Getty)
But clearly this group will not respond to this manager, no matter what he says in front of the television cameras. They were bad under Thomas Frank. Embarrassingly bad under the Tudors. Their confidence is non-existent. Antonin Kinski was substituted in the 16th minute, but could have taken most of the team off. The defense on the second goal was unbelievable. In a third, Ally McCoist responded to the comment simply saying: “Oh my god! I can’t believe I’m watching this.”
Guglielmo Vicario is not infallible. However, he had kept the most clean sheets of any Champions League goalkeeper before tonight, with six in eight games. Kinski shouldn’t have started this game. Tudor did not notice Kinski on his way off the pitch as the Czech player headed straight down the tunnel. Team-mates Conor Gallagher, Joao Parinha and Dominic Solanke quickly followed suit and tried to console the keeper.
Steve McManaman’s half-time reaction to Tudor’s snub was: “This is just the worst kind of human management.” Perhaps that’s an insight into why things are going so badly for Croats. After this interim period, he can forget about it even if he dreams of landing a Premier League job in the future. It’s not happening.
In hindsight, it’s funny that before the game Diego Simeone downplayed the idea that Atletico were favorites. He also said, “We know their strengths and weaknesses.” There are many weaknesses, but what exactly are the Spurs’ strengths? Do you only try after conceding a few goals? Not much else.
This tie is definitely done! The atmosphere in the second leg will be one of pure indifference. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will be just as flat for the rest of the Premier League games unless the board takes action and changes the management. The Tudor era is over. Antoine Griezmann and Julian Alvarez have just happily put the nail in the coffin.
Express sports on FB! Get all the best sports news and more on our Facebook page
