Tottenham lost 1-3 at home to Crystal Palace in a Premier League match, suffering five straight defeats and sitting just one point above the relegation zone.
Tottenham interim head coach Igor Tudor attended the post-match press conference.
Did the result of tonight’s match not go as you hoped?
Yes, we’re very disappointed to lose the game. We had a good start and even took a 1-0 lead, but that red card changed the course of the match. The game was completely different after that. Unfortunately, we tried to push on in the second half but couldn’t manage it.
Many fans left the stadium at half-time. What do you make of that?
Of course I understand the fans. It’s common in football. They’re disappointed and they want more. We understand that. We want to do better too. Unfortunately, we gave everything we had. One red card changed everything.
I’m going to tell you now, and it might sound strange, but I’m more confident after this game than I was before. I saw some things. I need to choose the right people, because the ship is going in the direction I want – and it has to go that way. Those on the ship can stay; otherwise, they have to leave.
So when other players return and we pick the right ones, I’m sure we’ll have an excellent team and the wins will come back. It’s not easy to accept where we are right now, but that’s the reality.
Is Tottenham really the hardest club to manage at the moment?
I don’t want to talk about the club. I want to stay positive. After this match, I can’t say anything bad to the players. They gave everything they had. Unfortunately, we pay the price for every single detail. We always pay for every detail.
If we talk about the red card as just a detail, we could go on forever. We have a lot of problems right now – we were missing defenders and full-backs today, issues we already knew about. I don’t want to talk about that, but we need to stick together.
I keep saying the same things, but it’s the truth. Believe in yourselves, keep improving, don’t make mistakes. That’s what matters in football. Keep going, don’t make mistakes. Score one goal, you can score more. Score two, you can get points – but the most important thing in football is not to make mistakes.
Unfortunately, right now, we’re giving everything, but I believe we will turn things around. There are nine matches left. Nine matches to go.
It sounds like you’re determined to keep fighting and move forward. Do you think the board will let you keep fighting?
I don’t think about that. I just have my job to do, that’s all.
Will we see you in this dugout again?
What?
Do you think we will see you sitting in this position again?
I have no comment on that.
Did Micky van de Ven say anything to the team at half-time or after the match?
That’s private dressing room matter.
It feels like everything keeps going wrong for Tottenham this season – red cards, injuries. How hard is it to be thrown into this situation?
What do you think? How hard? Extremely hard. All you can do is keep working hard. Keep going, believe in yourselves. Try to do everything right. Help the players as much as you can, because I see them every day – they care.
They care. They want to do well, they try hard, but things just keep happening. So like I said, stay calm, keep working, and things will get better. Everything will change.
Is this a discipline issue?
It is not a discipline issue at all. Quite the opposite.