Igor Tudor appears to take subtle dig at Thomas Frank in first interview as Tottenham manager
Igor Tudor’s first interview following his confirmation as the new short-term manager of Tottenham Hotspur has already won over a disillusioned fan base.
The Croatian tactician, appointed on Saturday to steer Spurs through the remainder of the 2025/26 campaign, wasted no time in establishing a new, aggressive mental framework for a squad currently languishing in 16th place.
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Igor Tudor says ‘we want to win’ in first interview as Tottenham manager
Stepping into the high-pressure environment of North London, Tudor delivered a clear, uncompromising message that resonated with supporters tired of defensive fragility.
“We want to win,” Tudor stated during his unveiling (quotes via The Spurs Watch). “You can’t go out there aiming for a draw. We take the field to win; you don’t prepare matches to draw. My focus is clear: to bring greater consistency to our performances and compete with conviction in every match.”
??Igor Tudor:
"We want to win, you can’t go out there aiming for a draw. We take the field to win; you don’t prepare matches to draw." pic.twitter.com/YVWouUPDR4
— The Spurs Watch (@TheSpursWatch) February 14, 2026
Tudor, who has signed an interim deal until the end of the season, is tasked with halting a dismal run that has seen Spurs win only two of their last 17 league games.
His debut will be a baptism of fire: a North London derby against league leaders Arsenal next Sunday.
Stark contrast from Thomas Frank’s defeatist comments
Tudor’s front-foot rhetoric stands in sharp contrast to the tone set by his predecessor, Thomas Frank.
The Danish manager, sacked on Wednesday after just eight months in charge, frequently drew the ire of fans for what was perceived as a defeatist outlook.
During his unveiling, Frank famously told the media, “We are going to lose games,” a sentiment intended to manage expectations but one that ultimately alienated a crowd used to the “To Dare Is To Do” motto.
He said: “I promise you one thing, one thing is 100% sure, we will lose football matches.”
Frank’s weak comments along with the mention of Arsenal set the tone of his disastrous tenure at Spurs.
He failed to win over the fans from the get go and mistakes like drinking from an Arsenal branded coffee-cup did not help.
While Frank’s pragmatism worked at Brentford, his inability to inspire a “big club” mentality at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium led to the lowest points-per-game ratio (1.12) of any Spurs manager in the Premier League era.
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