Igor Tudor: Tottenham head coach says 'no time for excuses' ahead of first game against Arsenal
New Tottenham head coach Igor Tudor gives first interview since being appointed; Croatian has replaced Thomas Frank who was sacked with club 16th and only five points above drop zone; watch Spurs vs Arsenal on Sunday, live on Sky Sports Premier League; kick-off 4.30pm
Tuesday 17 February 2026 14:29, UK
Tottenham head coach Igor Tudor insists there is “no time to find excuses” and vowed he will not play for draws as he aims to move the club away from relegation trouble.
Tudor was appointed as Spurs head coach on a deal until the end of the season.
The Croatian replaced Thomas Frank, who was sacked after an eight-game winless run, which has left Spurs 16th in the Premier League table and only five points above the drop zone.
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In his first interview since his appointment on Saturday, Tudor wants to inject "confidence" and "courage" into the underperforming side.
He told Spursplay: "The first priority is to give everything the team needs in these moments.
"The team needs, first of all, to get some confidence, to get some courage, but also in the same way, the concrete things in the pitch.
"I'm coming here knowing the situation is not easy. There is no time to find excuses.
"What I said from the first day here [is] each of us, each of the players need to give something more, something extra, because the position of the club in this moment is not [one] that anybody can accept. Every fan of Tottenham cannot accept the situation. We are aware of that, but it's not enough to just be aware of that."
'I've never seen a coach play for a draw'
The ex-Juventus boss faces a daunting first game in charge as Spurs host rivals and Premier League leaders Arsenal on Sunday, live on Sky Sports.
But Tudor is only targeting victory in this weekend's north London derby.
"Big week, important games," he said. "This derby is a fantastic game to play. We want to play this game in a way that our fans will like.
"I'm going to give everything that we have in the right way, brave but in the same way intelligent and smart to achieve what we want, and that's the victory."
He later added: "And about winning or drawing, the truth is I never saw the coach who said that he can play for a draw. It's not possible.
"So offensive football, yes, but smart, that's the key."
Tudor: I need to find best system amid absentee crisis
Tudor has favoured three at the back and wing-backs during his managerial career, but the 47-year-old acknowledged Spurs' huge absentee list will force him to find "the best system".
He said: "I like to be positive. I like to play offensive football. That's my first goal. I like to score goals, but in the same way, you need to give organisation in defence, give the clear structure of what you want to play.
"The situation is not easy because we have a lot of injured players, so we need first to find the best system that suits the players that are available at this moment, so a very particular moment.
"Maybe this can sound strange, but I believe the thing we need to be focused on is the training. So the training from today, that's the key, because as I always like to say, Sunday and the game is a consequence of the training.
"The coach needs to show the path, where is the way we want to go, how we want to go, and the players need to accept this."
'Style is more important than system'
Tudor made a great impact at Lazio and Juventus recently, delivering an instant upturn in form miday through the season at the Serie A clubs.
The ex-Juve defender will be hoping to make a similar impact at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to ease fears of a first relegation to the second tier since 1977.
He said: "If you can run 115 kilometres as a team, it's better than 105. It doesn't mean that you have one player extra, so there is nothing strange to choose that direction.
"It's always about motivated players that understand this thing about running, about the physical aspect of football, which is sometimes not easy, but that without quality - you can do nothing.
"So technical skills, intelligence, to see, to recognise the situations on the pitch is always above everything, so you need to find a mix about things."
He added: "I believe in style - style is more important than the system. It's a very particular moment, so every club has its particularity, that is first as a culture of the club, which kind of football they like so it's always important to think about that.
"But in the same way, not to forget who I am, what I want the team to achieve, but thinking, 'this player can do this', so I need to be with my staff, very intelligent, to find the best possible way to get out in a very short time."
