Igor Tudor was heavily criticized for going straight down the tunnel after Tottenham were eliminated from the Champions League that night despite beating Atletico Madrid 3-2. Ironically, Tudor’s first official win as Spurs manager came on a night when Tottenham lost 7-5 on aggregate to the La Liga side.
Tottenham were 5-2 down on aggregate after the first leg, so they faced each other from the start. The 2025 Europa League winners did not go down without a fight, but defeat in the first leg ultimately proved too big a mountain to climb, and Spurs will now switch their full focus to remaining in the Premier League from now until the end of the season.
But former Premier League ace Andy Reid was not happy with Tudor’s decision to head straight into the tunnel after the final whistle, suggesting the Sunderland player could irritate fans inside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mr Reid told BBC Radio 5 Live: “I thought[walking straight through the tunnel]was a bit unnecessary since Tudor times.
“He hasn’t had much success yet, but I hope he gets a win tonight. Let’s get the fans on board and applaud them so that when they get here on Sunday, they’ll be behind the team. He lost the draw and we’re out of the Champions League, but he needs to stay as positive as possible.”
“If you look at what Atletico Madrid did, they knew they had the advantage so they weren’t too aggressive after the game which gave Tottenham an opportunity to get something. Both teams are really struggling to find their groove, but it will be completely different on Sunday.”
Tudor praised the efforts of the supporters during the match, while also drawing attention to Sunday’s N17 clash with Nottingham Forest. “It’s a mixed feeling. I hate not winning the game, but it was a very good performance. It was a great feeling on the pitch with the team and the fans who were there with the team from the first moment,” he said.
“Congratulations to the players. They were positive, committed, there was a lot of running, there were a lot of good things. The energy was really great from the first moment and the fans recognized that the team did everything from the first moment to the end, and they were with us – great, thank you.”
“The players believed in us and you could see that the performance in this moment was very important. We have improved in the last two games. It’s an important game on Sunday (against Nottingham Forest) but nothing is decided yet. The remaining three games will decide.”
Tottenham currently sit in 16th place, one point above the relegation zone, with Sunday’s opponents Forest in 17th place, one place below. If Spurs lose to Forest and West Ham United beat Aston Villa, they could end the weekend in the bottom three.
