Tottenham reaction: Pressure builds on Spurs boss Tudor after 'selfish' Kinsky move backfires

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Poll: Should Tottenham sack Igor Tudor?

It seems an unlikely question about a manager who has only had four matches in charge, but Tottenham's form and results under Igor Tudor really have been that bad.

Things started off with a heavy defeat at home to north London rivals Arsenal and unravelled from there, with further losses in the Premier League at Fulham and at home to Crystal Palace before Tuesday's shambolic display at Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

There have been numerous calls - which we will get to shortly - for the Spurs hierarchy to cut their losses and end Tudor's interim tenure, which was due to last until the end of the season.

So we are asking you the question in our poll at the top of this page - should Tottenham sack Igor Tudor?

Barcelona snatch late draw at St James' Park

Newcastle 1-1 Barcelona

Newcastle United

Elsewhere, Newcastle were also frustrated in their Champions League last-16 first-leg tie against Barcelona.

Harvey Barnes was the hero at St James' Park after firing the hosts in front with a first-time finish on 86 minutes, but the visitors managed to rescue a draw at the death thanks to Lamine Yamal's 96th-minute penalty.

The spot-kick was awarded after Barcelona substitute Dani Olmo was brought down inside the box by Newcastle defender Malick Thiaw.

It was a sucker punch for the Magpies, who were just seconds from defeating the five-time winners, and it means Barcelona don't have to overturn a deficit going into the second leg.

Galatasaray stun Liverpool in Istanbul

Galatasaray 1-0 Liverpool

Liverpool

Arne Slot's 100th game in charge of Liverpool took an unexpected turn as Galatasaray established a narrow 1-0 lead in their last-16 tie.

Former Southampton, Fulham and Wolves midfielder Mario Lemia delivered the blow with a headed goal past Giorgi Mamardashvili just seven minutes into the first-leg fixture.

It was the 10th goal the Reds have conceded from corners this season.

Liverpool did think they had levelled things up in the 70th minute, though, after the ball was bundled over the line from Dominik Szoboszlai's corner.

But it wasn't to be as VAR, following a lengthy check, ruled the ball had hit Ibrahima Konate's arm in the build-up, once from the corner delivery and twice after the ball came off Virgil van Dijk's heel.

It leaves Slot's side with it all to do in the second leg at Anfield on 18 March.

Post

Craig Nelson

BBC Sport reporter

Full focus has been on Tottenham this morning.

We have covered the main talking point of their 5-2 Champions League defeat at Atletico Madrid - namely Igor Tudor's decision to substitute his goalkeeper after just 17 minutes.

We will be returning to Spurs shortly to assess what possible impact that fourth consecutive loss under Tudor could have on his temporary tenure as interim manager.

However, there were four Champions League matches played on Tuesday night, including two other games featuring Premier League clubs.

Let's quickly bring you up to speed with the latest on those games and tonight's fixtures...

'Staggered' by decision to substitute Kinsky

Atletico Madrid 5-2 Tottenham

John Murray

BBC football correspondent on BBC Radio 5 Live

Honestly, I don't know if I've ever seen anything quite like the first 23 minutes of what happened in the Metropolitano last night.

The feeling was it might not go well for Tottenham, but they'd be in touch for the second leg at home in London. The first 20 minutes or so they were completely blown away. It was mistake after slip after error after mistake. And Atletico Madrid just scored goals after goal after goal after goal, so that was one thing.

But to substitute the goalkeeper, 22-year-old Antonin Kinsky, which had been Igor Tudor's big call to play in the Champions League for Tottenham for the first time. And yes, he made two of the slips which led to two of the three goals scored at that time, but to substitute him off, I honestly can't remember seeing anything like that before.

He came running off the field. I saw two or three of his team-mates came over to him as he came off the field, and Tudor, his manager who made the call to play him, stood on the edge of the coaching area, and there was no interaction between the two at all.

We were staggered.

Why was Vicario dropped?

Atletico Madrid 5-2 Tottenham

Paul Robinson referred to concerns over the form of Tottenham's number one goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario as the trigger for Igor Tudor to start Antonin Kinsky ahead of him at Atletico Madrid - a decision that he accepted backfired.

Vicario had started the majority of Tottenham's domestic and European games so far this season, but was dropped by Tudor on Tuesday night following recent poor performances.

The Italian shot-stopper had started all three games under the club's new interim head coach.

However, Vicario conceded nine goals in those opening three fixtures, with defeats to Arsenal, Fulham and Crystal Palace starting Tudor's reign.

It was for that reason the boss decided to switch things up in-between the sticks at the Estadio Metropolitano.

Speaking pre-match, Tudor was tight-lipped on his decision: “I chose today what I think is best for the team in this moment. This is the first XI for today. There is also the second game [in this tie], so there is space for everyone."

'Quite blatantly for self preservation'

Atletico Madrid 5-2 Tottenham

Paul Robinson

Former Tottenham goalkeeper on BBC Radio 5 Live

He's [Igor Tudor] making decisions that he maybe thinks is going to one, keep him in a job, or two, keep Tottenham in the Premier League and performances are going to turn around.

It was a very selfish decision [to substitute Antonin Kinsky in the 17th minute] as a manager.

Actually, when you rewind the clock, I think he brought Kinsky in tonight because [Guglielmo] Vicario has been poor. Vicario has made errors that have led to goals and he has cost Tottenham points in the league, of late. I think he brought Kinsky in tonight thinking that if he does well I have got an excuse to keep him in now until the end of the season.

He reverted on that decision very, very early on in the game. I have never seen that in my playing career, in my broadcasting career, I have never seen a manager substitute a goalkeeper so obviously because of the mistakes that he made.

It's quite blatantly for self preservation by the manager because it was a decision that he thought was best for him and his team at the time, without consideration for the young goalkeeper.

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