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Former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel has criticised Igor Tudor's decision to substitute Antonin Kinsky
Former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel has criticised Igor Tudor's choice to withdraw Antonin Kinsky during the first half of Tuesday's loss to Atletico Madrid. The Tottenham shot-stopper endured the embarrassment of being hauled off after merely 17 minutes of Tuesday's 5-2 hammering in Spain.
Kinsky had been selected ahead of Guglielmo Vicario for the Champions League last 16 first leg encounter, as he sought to cement a regular berth in Tudor's first team. Yet the Czech goalkeeper endured a nightmarish opening to the European tie, committing multiple mistakes which contributed to Tottenham falling 3-0 behind inside the opening quarter of an hour.
The 22-year-old looked distraught as he made his way down the tunnel following his substitution by Vicario, receiving no acknowledgement from Tudor. Questions will inevitably be raised about the young goalkeeper's prospects in north London after his public embarrassment at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.
CBS Sports pundit Schmeichel has now criticised Tudor for the substitution, suggesting it could prove devastating for the young player's career.
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He said: "I feel really, really sorry for him You make mistakes, you know, he's put him in goal. Obviously, he's costing the team the opportunity to win. Not that Tottenham have any opportunity to win. I mean, it was a terrible performance.
"But when this happened, when you look at the clock there, 14:55, what does Igor Tudor then? Well, he substitutes him.
"That's going to have ramifications for the rest of his career. This will be a moment that everybody in football will always remember every time they see and hear his name.
"You make your choice as a coach and yes, it wasn't going your way and you're 3-0 down, there's no way that this team would ever come back from that. You've got to stick with him and at least stick until half-time.
"What he's done there, for me, he's absolutely killed his career. That's going to take something to get over that."
Tudor justified his unconventional decision post-match, asserting that the substitution was made 'to preserve the team'.
The 47-year-old said: "It happened very rarely in my coaching 15 years, I never do that. It was necessary to preserve the guy, to preserve the team. Incredible situation, nothing to comment, you will see. It was, before the game, the right choice to do in the moment like we are.
"Pressure on Vicario, another competition, Toni is a very good goalkeeper. So I was, for me, the right decision. After this, of course, it is easy to say that it was not the right decision.
"I explained to Toni, also speaking after, that he is the right guy and a good goalkeeper. Unfortunately, it happened in this big game, these mistakes.
"We started the game, it was too much for us. In this moment, when we are fragile, we are weak. Even the second half was 4-2, it was almost 4-2 with Richarlison. We tried to score a goal in 4-2 and then we conceded the goal."
The Lilywhites must now shift their attention back to their daunting Premier League survival fight as they head to Liverpool on Sunday. Spurs currently hover just one point above the relegation zone with nine matches remaining.
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