Igor Tudor has already avoided Tottenham mistake that set Thomas Frank up for failure
Thomas Frank was destined to be a flop at Tottenham before he even took charge of his first game.
Tudor has 12 games to save Tottenham from relegation, which is still a very strange sentence to write given the fact that Spurs are, and always have been, a side striving for a top-four finish.
However, that is the situation in North London right now, and Frank is a big reason behind that after his appointment last summer.
The Dane has failed to improve things since the exit of Ange Postecoglou, with several players massively underperforming and the pressure of playing in front of their home support quite clearly getting to them.
But many people saw that failure coming from a mile away, and it all stems back to his first words in charge of the Lilywhites.
What has Igor Tudor done differently to Thomas Frank?
First and foremost, this is not a claim that Tudor is going to go on and be a success for Tottenham.
However, the very early signs are promising, and that is more based on the things he hasn’t done as opposed to the things that he has done.
When Frank was hired as Tottenham boss, he explained in his first press conference how his side “will lose football matches”, which is hardly the vote of confidence you want from a new manager who is looking to improve on their previous 17th-placed finish.
In fact, it’s quite the opposite, and Frank was almost deflecting the blame away from himself before things even turned sour.
In comparison to Tudor, not only has he avoided such a brainless comment in his first interview, but he has actually said a lot of things to bring optimism from the get-go.
Ahead of Tottenham’s clash with Arsenal, he said: “We want to play this game in a way that our fans will like, giving everything that we have, in the right way, brave… but in the same way intelligent and smart to achieve what we want, and that’s the victory.”
What does Tudor need to do vs Arsenal to get fans back on side?
The easy answer is win. However, the actual answer goes a lot deeper than that.
Tottenham need to show a true identity against the Gunners this weekend, which is something they failed to do every week under Frank.
They have been far too weak from a mentality side of things, and if that continues under Tudor, relegation is going to become even more likely.
With it being at home, Tudor is almost an impossible situation.
Spurs have been dreadful there all season, and no one will really be expecting a win, but if he can lead his side to victory, it would be a huge boost for everyone involved.
For more build-up ahead of Tottenham’s clash with Arsenal, head over to Football Insider for the latest.