Tottenham Hotspur, facing the threat of relegation, declared a frontal breakthrough under new head coach Igor Tudor. Perched on the edge, Tottenham will begin a fight for survival starting with the North London derby.
Tottenham Hotspur will face Arsenal on the 23rd (Korea time) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the 27th round of the 2025-2026 English Premier League season. This match is the starting point for Tottenham's full-scale reconstruction work under Tudor. Tottenham has managed only one win in the past 12 league matches, falling to 16th with seven wins, eight draws and 11 losses, totaling 29 points. The gap with relegation-zone West Ham United is only four points.
Igor Tudor, who took the helm hastily after Thomas Frank was sacked, is regarded as a coach strong at crisis management. Most of his managerial career involved midseason appointments, and he has considerable experience lifting a team's mood and fighting spirit in a short period. However, this situation is by no means an easy task for him.
Tottenham is currently suffering from a large number of injuries. According to The Athletic, Tudor said ahead of the Arsenal match, "This is a very rare situation in which as many as 10 players have left the team, including serious injuries." In fact, only 13 players were available for training. He emphasized, "It's not a beautiful situation, but this kind of crisis is a greater challenge," and added, "There are certainly 13 players who can play on Sunday, but that is enough for us to achieve what we want."
The opponent is Arsenal in the North London derby. Tudor knew well the symbolism and weight of this match. He said, "I know how important this match is. I also know that everyone expects three points," showing his sense of responsibility. But he looked at the current reality coolly. "A playing style is usually built over a 50-day preseason with 20 players. Right now it's an emergency. We need to quickly find what fits the 13 players we have. We can't hope for many things. We must focus on one or two things," he said.
He also added a message to fans who had expressed dissatisfaction with the passive game management under the Frank regime. Tudor said, "On Sunday we will be able to show something concrete and good that fans will like," foreshadowing a change. He continued, "The goal of the first training was to become a team. We must become a team that can fight together, endure pain, run and go to war," he emphasized.
There is hopeful news despite the gaps in the squad. Richarlison is expected to return after recovering from a hamstring injury, and Dominic Solanke is also likely to play despite symptoms of pharyngitis. On the other hand, Pedro Porro is likely to miss this match and is expected to return next week. Tudor finished by saying, "We will survive. I am 100% sure," showing strong confidence.
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