As fun as a win would have been, Igor Tudor was not hired by Tottenham Hotspur to come in and immediately claim the North London Derby. No one is excusing the loss, but at the same time, that fixture is not how the interim manager’s tenure will be judged. However, reality sets in now. Matches against Fulham on Sunday and Palace next week are not gimmes, but points need to come from somewhere, even if they arrive one at a time.
Fulham is certainly having a better season than Spurs, but enters the weekend
having dropped four of the last six in the league. Last weekend did feature a victory against Sunderland, though, the first one in the month of February. Tudor has a difficult task ahead of him, so snagging three points would go a long way. With Champions League matches coming up relatively soon, continuing to miss opportunities will really ramp up the pressure later.
Match Details
Date: Sunday, March 1
Time: 9:00 am ET, 2:00 pm UK
Location: Craven Cottage, London
TV: USA Network (US), Sky Sports Premier League (UK)
Table: Fulham (t-9th, 37 pts), Spurs (16th, 29 pts)
Tottenham has done terribly against its neighbors recently. After winning both contests after Fulham’s promotion in 2022/2023, Spurs have one just one victory in the last six head-to-heads. The Cottagers took all three points in North London back in November after the home side comically surrendered a pair of goals in the opening six minutes. Mohammed Kudus pulled one back in the second half, but it was not enough to rescue anything.
Two Things to Watch
Defensive discipline
Hopefully, four-goal demolitions will be rare, but the Tottenham defense was not exactly inspiring in the new regime’s debut. Obviously, Tudor is dealing with an extremely handicapped roster, but reinforcements could arrive in the form of Kevin Danso and Pedro Porro this weekend. A solid backline is imperative for this system to work, and it was alarming at times to watch the struggles on Sunday.
Fulham’s 38 goals this season sit just above the middle of the table. Raul Jimenez and Harry Wilson each have eight apiece, which is higher than anyone wearing lilywhite, though just one of the past three league contests have seen the Cottagers score multiple goals. Of course, domestic clean sheets are a distant memory for Spurs, last occuring against Brentford on New Year’s.
With another week under Tudor’s…tutelage, the hope is that the defense will be more organized and sharper mentally to avoid committing those back-breaking turnovers. It also would be nice to use the defense to spring attacks going the other way, but at this point all anyone is asking for is a relatively clean showing in the defensive third without any unnecessary mistakes.
A hero for spring
Richarlison is Spurs’ leading goal scorer in the league (7), but Tudor will need someone to be a difference maker down the stretch if he is going to achieve his task. The obvious candidate is Randal Kolo Muani, and face familiar to the manager and the only one who really looked up for it last weekend, first scoring the initial equalizer, then being (unjustly) robbed of a second.
Tudor’s system will need others to contribute as well, whether that be Xavi Simons, Conor Gallagher, or someone else behind the striker. The challenge is much more manageable this Sunday, and this should provide a much clearer look at what Tottenham might expect out of its attack for the next few months, even with depleted resources up front as well.
Fulham has allowed as many goals in the league as Spurs this season — which is not great! — and has conceded nine times over the past four matches. Expecting the Tottenham attack to suddenly spring back to life might be unrealistic, though points are needed immediately, and those are unlikely to come without any goals. It might be a battle at Craven Cottage, but it is fair to ask for some sort of result.
