Tottenham manager Igor Tudor is under huge pressure at Tottenham in particularly difficult circumstances following his decision to substitute Antonin Kinski against Atletico Madrid.
Manager Igor Tudor talks about his decision to replace Antonin Kinski (Image: Getty Images)
Tottenham manager Igor Tudor will bring back Guglielmo Vicario to replace him following Antonin Kinski’s brutal substitution against Atletico Madrid. The Czech goalkeeper was sent off after just 17 minutes against Spain due to several high-profile mistakes.
After he left the pitch, he walked straight down the tunnel and did not even notice Tudor. Asked about his dilemma over the goalkeeper position ahead of this weekend’s clash with reigning Premier League champions Liverpool, he revealed he had spoken to Kinski in the dressing room.
“When you make a decision to change, you always lose,” Tudor said. “If you make a substitution after 15 minutes, the manager loses in both cases.
“In the first case, you put him in and everyone says, ‘Why are you doing this? You killed that guy.'” Otherwise, you risk conceding one or two more goals. I would do the same thing again. It was an act that kept him going and helped keep the team going.
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“Why didn’t I go and hug him? Probably because he was angry. Maybe the coach would do something to avoid this scene and make the situation worse than it was.”
“Sometimes it’s better to just stay there and at halftime we hug each other. At halftime we just talked and didn’t do anything (more) and the situation ended there.”
And while Tudor appears to have smoothed things over with Kinski, the Spurs manager confirmed Vicario will return during the game against Liverpool. Speaking about the Italian, he said: “He’s a good player. He’s never been dropped, he’s never been dropped. Why was he dropped? It was Toni (Kinski) who scored in that game (Atlético). It’s a normal situation.”
Kinski was sent off after just 17 minutes against Atlético Madrid (Image: Getty Images)
Regardless of who played in goal, the Spurs have endured a disastrous season. The north London side sit in 16th place, just one point above the relegation zone, ahead of Sunday’s showdown with Liverpool.
They haven’t won in the Premier League since late December. “It seems like the whole world is against us, but the facts show this to be true. So what can you do?” Tudor added.
“Nothing. Just accept this, keep working, keep calm, keep working more, don’t lose your head and wait until the players come back more complete.”
“Then the decisive games will come, because this relegation battle will be decided in the last game. I don’t know how much, but it will be decided there. And when these battles come, we need to be ready. I believe in that 100 percent. So our goal is to keep working, to wait for this moment and be ready.”
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