Former Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov, who has worked with Igor Tudor, has given an interesting description of the Croat’s style of coaching.
Tudor may be no stranger to taking over clubs in crisis mid-season, but he has his work cut out at Spurs.
Not only is this his first taste of Premier League football, but he will have to pick up results while navigating a huge injury crisis.
Spurs fans will hope that the 47-year-old’s arrival produces a new-manager bounce at the club, but one former Tottenham striker’s revelation may be a cause for concern.
Tottenham boss Igor Tudor stays true to Italian coaching roots
Tudor has expressed his desire to play positive and offensive football at Spurs, which is not something Tottenham fans have seen a lot of this season.
However, Berbatov, who played under the Croat at PAOK in Greece during the 2015/16 season, has now revealed that he found the 47-year-old to be a typical Italian-style coach.
When the former Spurs striker was asked about Tudor’s style during his PAOK days, he told UEFA.com: “He is hungry to work, and it shows in his approach to the tasks at hand, in the way he conducts training sessions. His method feels close to the typical Italian style of coaching. That is only natural when you consider he played for Juventus for a long time.”
Tudor is a different coach now than he was at PAOK
It is worth pointing out that the PAOK job was just Tudor’s second managerial stint in his career and came nearly ten years ago.
It is no surprise that the Croat stuck with what he knew from his playing days in those early coaching experiences.
His ideas would have undoubtedly evolved since then, which is why Tudor has remained in demand at the highest level for so long.
Talking about the style he will implement at Tottenham, Igor Tudor said: “I like to be positive. I like to play offensive football. That is my first goal. I like to score goals, but in the same way, for sure, you need to give organisation in defence, give the clear structure of what you want to play.
“I believe in style – style is more important than the system, of course. As I said, it is a very particular moment. So, every club has its particularity. Can I say this word? That is first as a culture of the club, which kind of football they like. So, it is always important to think about that, but in the same way, not to forget who I am, what I want the team to achieve, but thinking, ‘this player can do this’.”
He added: “Offensive football, yes, but smart. So, that is the key.”