LONDON (AP) — Tottenham manager Igor Tudor Admitted that some players are struggling to cope with the pressure at the club. leaning towards relegation They had one of the worst seasons in a generation and were knocked out of the Premier League.
Spurs, a fixture in England’s top flight since the 1970s, sit one point above the bottom three with nine games remaining. They are without a win in their last 11 Premier League games dating back to last year.
The team was also reeling from a 5-2 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16, in which Tudor was substitute goalkeeper. Antonin Kinski In the 17th minute, he made two mistakes that led to a goal. Speaking after the game, Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven said it had been a “really, really bad” time and he no longer checks his phone.
“Some of them are certainly difficult to deal with,” Tudor said at a press conference on Friday ahead of Sunday’s league trip to Liverpool. “Some of them can help you once you arrive.
“So sometimes you can’t do anything, but most of the time you can do small changes, small help. But what I always tell my players is, ‘Don’t be a victim.’
Tudor himself is facing some serious heat after starting his interim reign with four straight losses. He gave the players a challenge, saying, “It’s okay to cry, and it’s okay to fight.”
“The bottle is always half empty or half full,” Tudor said. “There is nothing here that is full, there is a lot of emptiness.
“The players will see this challenge as an opportunity. We will come out of this period with the courage to change things. They will become better people and better players.”
The list of absentees grows
Adding to the Tudors’ problems is the list of absentees growing by the week.
In addition to injuries to key players such as James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Mohamed Kudus and Rodrygo Bentancur, Van de Ven is suspended and Cristian Romero and Joao Parinha will miss the trip to Anfield after sustaining concussions after the clash against Atlético.
Coach Tudor announced Friday that Yves Bissouma has also been placed on injured reserve.
Vicario returns as goalkeeper
Tudor said Guglielmo Vicario would return as Liverpool’s goalkeeper after being left out against Atletico.
Still, the Croatian coach said Kinski will “definitely” feature this season, despite his nightmarish performance in Madrid.
“He came back the next day and did really well in training,” Tudor said. “He has strength and quality. He has a very good career ahead of him.”
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