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Igor Tudor could look to make instant changes at Tottenham Hotspur, and one of the club’s former players has outlined exactly what to expect from the new manager.
The players at Tottenham Hotspur have enjoyed a few days off, but now it is time to get back to business and prepare for Sunday’s North London derby.
Spurs will have a new manager in hotseat, with Igor Tudor stepping in to take charge for the remainder of the season.
Plenty has already been said about the Croatian’s style and man management, and one of his former players at Udinese has offered another take based on his own personal experience.
William Troost-Ekong spills the tea on Igor Tudor for Tottenham
William Troost-Ekong used to play for Tottenham at academy level, and he has revealed the style of play and system his old coach will look to implement.
According to the defender, Tudor is the right man for the job because he has overcome the type of situation that he faces now, on previous occasions.
Troost-Ekong told talkSPORT: “We had him [Tudor] two times at Udinese. He’s a manager that likes to play 3-5-2 or a variation of it from what my experience was.
“Attacking football, high back line, tries to press high, can be quite direct. He’s definitely a personality so if they need someone to shake up the place and get everyone going, then he’s definitely the right person for it.
“The north London derby is probably the perfect game to start. He’s definitely someone who’s not intimidated by anything like that.
“A big personality and he’s going to get everyone trying to run through a brick wall. I think that’s probably been my experience with him.”
Troost-Ekong has seen Tudor improve a team for the better after arriving mid-season and he believes the manager can do so again by changing Tottenham’s tactics.
“My time with him, he was very focused on instilling the confidence back in the team. He came in at two moments when we weren’t doing too well,” he continued.
“I think for Spurs at this moment in time he’ll work a lot with the back line. There was a lot of tactical work that we did. Maybe if they’re going to switch it up now to a 3-5-2, that would probably be the first thing.
“I think also the high pressing and maybe more exciting football. I think the stadium probably needs something to get them out of their seats again. He’s definitely the person for that.
“You’ll probably see a lot of goals but there could be some conceded as well, because you play with quite a high risk in the high line.
“That will probably be his biggest difference I would say, and try and get everyone to run forward as much as they can really.”
Tudor’s lack of Premier League experience is not a problem
It is clear that Troost-Ekong thinks very highly of Tudor, although he has acknowledged that the ex-Serie A coach will face a new challenge in the Premier League.
However, the 32-year-old is confident Tudor has what it takes to succeed at Spurs, as he has done well in various jobs across Europe.
He added: “I think it probably is a factor but to a certain extent, he’s also had some great jobs. Whether it’s managing Galatasaray, Juventus, and Marseille.
“And as a player he’s very experienced as well, so I think that part probably wouldn’t be that he’s out of his depth completely, but it’s a big change.
“The Premier League is a very scrutinised league, a lot to talk about, always, so that part might be slightly different.
“Maybe working with a big group of talented players, but I wouldn’t think that will be too dissimilar to his job at Juventus before.”
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