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Tottenham’s new interim manager Igor Tudor [Isabella Bonotto/ AFP]
Tottenham’s new interim manager Igor Tudor said on Tuesday that the club’s perilous position in the Premier League is unacceptable as he aims to ward off a relegation battle.
The former Juventus boss has been appointed until the end of the season after Spurs slipped to 16th in the table under Thomas Frank, who was sacked last week.
Tudor faces a baptism of fire at home to league leaders Arsenal in the north London derby on Sunday.
But he said there can be no excuses despite a lengthy injury list that hampered Frank’s eight-month tenure.
“I need to be, with my staff, very intelligent to find the best possible way in a very short time,” Tudor told Tottenham’s in-house media channel.
“I’m coming here knowing that situation is not easy. There is no time to find excuses. What I said from the first day here, each of us, need to give something more, something extra.”
Spurs have a five-point cushion over West Ham in the battle to avoid the drop.
But the Hammers have picked up seven more points than Tottenham over the past eight league games as they have turned a corner under Nuno Espirito Santo.
Spurs, by contrast, have won just two of their last 17 league games.
“The position of the club in this moment is one that nobody can accept,” added Tudor, who was sacked by Juventus earlier this season after just seven months in charge.
“Every Tottenham fan cannot accept the situation. We are aware of that. But it’s not enough to just be aware of that.
“The situation is not easy because we have a lot of injured players, so we need first to find the best system to suit the players that are available in this moment.”
Captain Cristian Romero is suspended for the visit of Arsenal, while James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Mohammed Kudus, Richarlison, Rodrigo Bentancur and Lucas Bergvall are among those set to miss out through injury.