Is Tudor’s Spurs reign almost up after only four games?
Although Atletico did not perform above average in these unfortunate 23 minutes, they took a 4-0 lead, and Micky van de Ven failed to score against Antoine Griezmann.
The final score makes the second leg of the last 16 tie a formality. Spurs now only have to fight for survival.
Tudor’s unique trait in his checkered, nomadic coaching career was his supposed ability to create an instant spark of impact. At Spurs, it was the opposite of the Midas Touch. Minus Touch.
Four defeats in four games is the worst start for anyone in charge at Spurs; each more damaging and demoralizing than the last. It’s not stopping the Tudor Spurs crisis, it’s accelerating it.
Tudor said of his own future: “It’s not an issue for me. It’s not about my job. It’s about helping the team.”
Tudor has yet to fulfill its end of the bargain. Your days now have to be measured in very small numbers.
Tudor has shown that he’s not afraid to make big decisions. The problem is that Spurs get them wrong when they can’t afford it.
Opinions on the decision to replace Kinsky after just 17 minutes will be divided between a coach saving the goalkeeper from himself or a stubborn move that could ruin a young player’s career.
It was a stunning move from a coach who felt he had nothing to lose, or possibly felt he had at Spurs.
In a brief post-match review he said: “It was a very rare thing. I’ve never done that in my 15 years of coaching. I did it to protect both the man and the team.”
“It was an incredible situation.”
Of course, Tudor cannot be held responsible for what happened to Kinsky, but it was indicative of how bad things had gotten under his watch.
What is certain on Tudor’s door is that it was his brave decision to abandon Vicario and play Kinsky, and to say it backfired is a masterpiece of understatement.
When Kinsky’s numbers went up, it was up to his Spurs team-mates to console him, and even the Atletico Madrid fans, who put aside their passion and partisanship and offered sympathetic applause.
Tudor seemed to have no solace in mind as the heartbroken teenager walked out.
