Credit: Sky Sports News/Imago

Samuel Fabre

Mon 23 March 2026 14:10, UK

Tim Sherwood couldn’t understand why Randal Kolo Muani was on the bench in Tottenham Hotspur‘s 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest.

The defeat leaves Spurs 17th in the Premier League and one point adrift of the drop zone, and Igor Tudor is still winless in the top flight.

It was a hugely damaging result, with boos ringing out around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at full-time as Spurs edge closer to Premier League relegation.

Tudor is fighting to keep his job as his wait for a first Premier League win continues, and the fans have been very critical of his tactical decisions so far.

Tottenham’s loss to Forest was disastrous, and it’s not a shock that Tudor has come under fire for not starting Kolo Muani.

Tim Sherwood believes Randal Kolo Muani should have started vs Nottingham Forest

While Tottenham were eliminated from the Champions League at the last-16 stage, Kolo Muani was incredibly impressive in the second leg.

He scored a brilliant header to take his Champions League tally to four goals, which is the joint-most from a Tottenham player in Europe’s elite competition, with Gareth Bale and Peter Crouch also scoring four in 2010-11.

According to Sofascore, Kolo Muani has completed just under 64 per cent of his attempted dribbles in the Champions League, which shows how much of an attacking threat he can provide.

However, he was then benched by Tudor, who preferred to start Dominic Solanke and Richarlison in his place.

Speaking on Sky Sports News on Monday, Sherwood said he believes he would have a positive impact if Spurs were to appoint him, and he would value Kolo Muani’s impact on the team.

“I would keep them in the Premier League. Someone with common sense keeps them in the Premier League because the players have the quality to do it,” he said.

“You have to get the confidence in the group, and you don’t get that by playing Cristian Romero on the right wing for Xavi Simons.

“There’s dirty work to be done, but Kolo Muani played well against Atletico Madrid, so why is he on the bench?

“It’s not complicated, and if the two centre-backs are having to burst forward, it’s because you’re not doing something right.”

The stats that show why Igor Tudor must be sacked immediately

Spurs are now without a league win in 13 games, their longest streak in the top flight in 91 years, which shows why so many fans are keen to see Tudor sacked already.

Tottenham have also won just 30 points from 31 Premier League games this season – accounting for three points per win, this is their joint-lowest return after 31 games of a league campaign, after doing so in 1914-15 (30).

While Sherwood believes that he can keep Tottenham in the Premier League by making these changes, he doesn’t have the CV to back up his claims.

Spurs need someone who can galvanise the dressing room, yet there’s no way the 57-year-old has the track record to improve the mood around N17.

It would seem improbable for him to step in with just seven games left of the season, although given how Tottenham’s board have panicked with their decisions in recent months, Sherwood’s return is certainly a possibility.

However, it’s clear that he would do a better job than Tudor, whose days are numbered.