Tottenham Hotspur manager Igor Tudor faces growing squad unrest, echoing turmoil from his time at Marseille where he expelled five players from training sessions. Spurs hit a new low with a 3-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace on Thursday, placing them dangerously near the relegation zone.
Tudor’s Rocky Start at Tottenham
Tudor took over in February after the club parted ways with Thomas Frank amid poor results. The Croatian coach has lost all three matches in charge, intensifying tensions in north London.
His challenging spell mirrors difficulties at Marseille from 2022 to 2023. Despite securing third place in Ligue 1, the 47-year-old left after one year, citing fatigue. Friction defined his tenure at the Velodrome, stemming from players’ loyalty to predecessor Jorge Sampaoli, who left over transfer disagreements.
Player Clashes at Marseille
Unease surfaced during pre-season. Brazilian midfielder Gerson clashed with Tudor and was barred from training. French full-back Jordan Amavi faced exclusion from the first team after a dispute. Turkish winger Cengiz Under had disagreements but continued sessions.
Former Arsenal defender Nuno Tavares was ejected for lacking effort, as Tudor later explained. Senegal striker Bamba Dieng also faced removal, with unclear details. Ex-Gunner Matteo Guendouzi had a heated exchange during a 2-0 pre-season loss to AC Milan, prompting him to leave the pitch early.
Tudor defended his strict approach: “In my football, there is a feature, you have to run. And if you don’t… If I see one player that doesn’t run in training, I’ll say it once, twice and then on the third time of asking, I’ll intervene.” He added about Tavares: the player was not making “necessary efforts.”
The drama extended to staff, with assistant Mauro Camoranesi lasting only a week despite Tudor’s endorsement as his “right arm.”
Insights from Marseille Leadership
After Tudor’s brief stint at Lazio, Marseille president Pablo Longoria reflected: “I wouldn’t wish what Igor suffered on my worst enemy. He found himself at a club where everyone was against him, from the inside and outside. Many people organised themselves to increase the tension against him. People were asking for Jorge Sampaoli to return, whilst others wanted to give power to the players. There were requests to fan groups to oust the coach. When I returned to Marseille, I felt that pre-season was like the 37th matchday of the championship, you had to play your life. It’s not normal.”
Tudor’s Warning to Spurs Squad
Post-Palace loss, Tudor signaled readiness to enforce discipline: “I will tell you now, maybe it will sound strange, but I believe more after this game than I believed before. I saw something. I need to choose the right guys because the boat is going in the direction that I want to go, and needs to go, and who is in the boat can stay. Otherwise they can leave the boat.”
Challenges mount for Spurs, with a Champions League last-16 first leg at Atletico Madrid followed by a Premier League trip to Liverpool.
