Feb 20 : New Tottenham Hotspur coach Igor Tudor reassured the North London side’s fans on Friday by declaring he was ‘100 per cent’ confident they would remain in the Premier League next season ahead of his club debut against Arsenal.
Spurs are five points above the relegation zone in 16th place which led to Thomas Frank being sacked and the club appointing former Juventus boss Tudor until the end of the season in an attempt to salvage their campaign.
Tudor’s first game is against league leaders and arch-rivals Arsenal. When asked if Spurs would still be a Premier League team next season, the Croatian told reporters: “100 per cent!”
“This (relegation battle) is not important,” he added. “Fighting for every position, relegation, first position, UEFA places – you achieve the position because of what you do during the week and on Sunday.
“It is a consequence of this. It brings you nothing if you think about relegation. All these goals are far away, I never give them importance.”
Tudor also brushed off suggestions that the club’s narrow margin for error should influence their approach.
“Five points (from the relegation zone), 10, two – it is the same. We need to be focused. Let’s focus on this and see what we can attain. Looking down or up brings you nothing,” he said.
“The players want to have clarity about what we want. This was the goal. To send a message about values and how we want to play.
“It is not about systems. It is important to become a team, a group, who will look after each other. For me, this is basic. After that the quality can come out and for me this is a team with quality, with legs that can run. There is potential.”
Tudor also relished the prospect of welcoming Arsenal to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in his first game.
“It is an amazing game to restart. I have heard a lot of good things about them,” Tudor said.
“We need to show them that we care and we want to make a change immediately.”
With several players injured, Tudor said he had only 13 players in training but that it was “quite enough to achieve what we want” in Sunday’s derby.
Defender Cristian Romero remains suspended after a second red card this season and Tudor refused to divulge who would wear the captain’s armband in the derby.
“You will see on Sunday,” he said.
