Igor Tudor says there is no time for Tottenham to look for excuses in their fight to avoid relegation from the Premier League, as he prepares to be thrown in at the deep end against Arsenal.
Tudor was appointed as Spurs’ interim head coach last week, with Thomas Frank dismissed after an eight-match winless run (D4 L4) left them just five points clear of the bottom three.
Frank departed with the lowest points-per-game figure of any Tottenham boss in the Premier League (1.12), with the team’s poor results also leading supporters to protest against the ownership of the ENIC Group.
Tudor, who was sacked by Juventus earlier this campaign, faces a baptism of fire this weekend, with Arsenal visiting the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for his first game in charge.
Speaking to the club’s media channels, he described Spurs’ current position as unacceptable and promised to work towards an immediate turnaround.
“The first priority is to give everything the team needs in these moments,” Tudor said in an interview with Spursplay.
“The team needs, first of all, to get some confidence, to get some courage, but also in the same way, to do 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, needs 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.”
Asked how his team would play, Tudor noted his preference for attractive, attacking football but said their lengthy injury list may mean an adaptable approach is required.
Igor Tudor’s first interview as Tottenham Hotspur Head Coach pic.twitter.com/ZxrnO8RqSh
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) February 17, 2026
The Croatian 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. It’s a very particular moment.”
Spurs have lost their last three Premier League home games against Arsenal, as many as they had in their previous 23 (W10 D10). They last lost four in a row against their north London rivals between 1952 and 1955.