Igor Tudor has suggested that Tottenham will maintain a back-three formation for their upcoming match against Liverpool, with the “beautiful guy” Archie Gray likely to play as a center-back.
A recurring issue during Tudor’s tumultuous four-match stint at Spurs has been his habit of misplacing players, as seen with midfielder João Palhinha and right-back Pedro Porro being deployed in wrong positions within his preferred 3-4-2-1 setup.
In his first game, a 4-1 defeat to Arsenal, Palhinha was positioned as a center-back, and Porro filled the same role during last week’s troubling loss at home to Crystal Palace. Despite the absences of Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, and Palhinha at Anfield, the 47-year-old coach appears ready to continue with a three-man defense.
During a tense press conference on Friday, when Tudor urged Spurs to avoid being “victims” and to choose whether to “cry or fight” their way out of a club-record six-match losing streak, he indicated that Gray may play yet another unfamiliar position.
Gray has already filled roles as right-wing-back, left-back, and central midfielder during Tudor’s challenging tenure, but he may now be called upon to play center-back, partnering with Kevin Danso and Radu Dragusin in a difficult encounter against Liverpool.
“That’s the issue. He has to change positions every game,” Tudor remarked about Gray.
“On Sunday, it’ll be the same. Four games and four different positions for Archie Gray. He’s an incredible player, but this constant shifting indicates that something isn’t right.
“He’s a beautiful guy and a talented player. I didn’t know much about him before, but now I have a lot of respect for him.”
Gray’s versatility has been called upon due to player availability issues in defense, although Destiny Udogie is nearing a return after a five-week absence.
“Destiny is almost back,” Tudor said. “Yes, definitely for the match against Nottingham Forest next Sunday.”
The dismal 5-2 defeat at Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, which saw backup goalkeeper Antonín Kinsky taken off after just 17 minutes, has intensified scrutiny of Tudor’s role, particularly due to his apparent lack of empathy towards Kinsky.
When asked whether he believes he is still the right fit for Tottenham, Tudor responded, “That’s not something I’m focused on.”
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The seasoned coach has enjoyed some success in previous short-term roles, with his critical insights often serving to spark improvements. However, his approaches at Spurs appear to be undermining morale.
“It’s not criticism; I’m offering advice. It’s not about pointing fingers at players. We’re all in this together. I’m not saying, ‘you’re not good, you need to do this;’ it’s not like that,” Tudor explained.
“It’s about helping them understand that this advice is meant to make them better players, which in turn makes us a better team.
“It’s about accepting this feedback, which isn’t easy, as it’s easy to stay in your comfort zone. But if you remain in your comfort zone, you won’t change; so much of this is about that.”