Tottenham Hotspur fans have been waiting anxiously for news regarding the immediate future of their manager, Igor Tudor.
After a truly difficult start to his time at the club, there were many loud whispers that he might be fired before the week was out.
However, respected football reporter Alasdair Gold has confirmed that Tudor is staying put for now.
The club has officially announced that the forty-seven-year-old Croatian coach will be the one sitting down to speak to the media on Tuesday afternoon.
This highly anticipated press conference is taking place right before a massive Champions League match against Atletico Madrid, putting an end to the immediate rumors that a sacking was imminent.
The main reason Tudor is still in the job comes down to a dramatic moment over the weekend. In his first four matches as the boss, Tottenham suffered incredibly painful defeats.
He really needed something positive to happen. On Sunday, they traveled to Anfield to play against a very strong Liverpool team that is currently fighting hard to finish in the top four.
Most people expected Tottenham to lose once again. As the clock ticked down to the final moments of the match, it looked like another disappointing defeat was absolutely certain. But then, in the ninetieth minute, Richarlison managed to score a dramatic equalizer.
That late goal rescued a vital point for the visitors. It was an unexpected lifeline for the manager and gave the team a much-needed boost of belief.
That single point against Liverpool is incredibly important because Tottenham is currently fighting a terrifying battle against relegation from the Premier League.
Over the weekend, their main rivals at the very bottom of the table, West Ham United and Nottingham Forest, also managed to get draws in their respective games.
Because all the struggling teams picked up a point, the situation at the bottom of the league remains exactly the same as it was before the weekend started. The margins are incredibly tight right now.
Tottenham is sitting just one single point above West Ham, Nottingham Forest, and the dreaded drop zone.
Every single match feels like a cup final because the threat of going down is so real.While the domestic league campaign has turned into a nightmare, the team still has to play in Europe.
Tudor has to somehow prepare his players for Wednesday night’s clash with Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
It is going to be an absolute mountain to climb. Spurs are currently losing the tie by a score of five goals to two after a terrible performance in the first leg.
Trying to overturn a massive three-goal deficit against a Spanish team that is completely famous for its strong, stubborn defense is going to be incredibly difficult.
But at least the manager has a tiny bit of positive energy from that late Liverpool draw to carry into the dressing room ahead of the big European night.
Even with the hard-fought draw at Anfield, Tudor’s job is definitely not completely safe.
Reports from last week suggested that the club’s leadership was seriously thinking about making another managerial change.
Things have been very chaotic since Tudor stepped in to replace Thomas Frank. Not only did he lose his first four games, but there were also strong rumors suggesting he had managed to upset and alienate several key players in the dressing room.
The people in charge of making the big decisions, like Vinai Venkatesham and Johan Lange, were actively looking around for someone else to take over until the end of the season.
They decided to leave the Croatian in charge for the Liverpool game, and he barely survived it.
If things go horribly wrong against Atletico Madrid, the next league game at home against relegation rivals Nottingham Forest will be surrounded by immense pressure.
Because the situation is so unstable, the club is not just sitting blindly hoping for the best. They have backup plans ready to go.
If the leadership team does decide to fire Tudor in the coming days, they have a few short-term options in mind to rescue the season. One very obvious choice is Ryan Mason.
He is a former Spurs player who has already stepped in as a temporary manager for the club twice before, meaning he knows exactly how to handle a crisis in that specific building.
Another interesting name on the list is Robbie Keane. The former Tottenham star striker is currently managing Ferencvaros in Hungary, where he has been doing a good job winning championships. Finally, there is Sean Dyche.
He is currently without a club and is famous across the country for helping struggling teams survive tough relegation battles, which is exactly the kind of gritty experience Spurs might need to stay up.
Looking past this chaotic season, Tottenham has two main targets they want to hire on a permanent basis in the summer.
The first is a very familiar face to the supporters: Mauricio Pochettino.
The fans absolutely love him, but the Argentine coach is currently busy managing the United States national team. He will not be available to take any club jobs until after he leads the USA in their home World Cup this summer.
The other top choice is Roberto De Zerbi. The Italian manager recently left his job at Marseille and is actually available right now.
However, convincing De Zerbi to jump right into the middle of a stressful relegation fight with only a few games left might be an impossible task. He would likely prefer to wait until the summer begins so he can have a full pre-season to teach the players his specific, highly tactical style of football.
For now, Tottenham just has to focus on surviving one day at a time under Tudor’s guidance.
