Igor Tudor watched Tottenham collapse amid a white-hot atmosphere to lose 3-0 at home to relegation rivals Nottingham Forest and then missed his media duties due to a family bereavement.
The Press Association understands Tudor was informed of a family bereavement after full-time, which meant assistant Bruno Saltor stepped in to reflect on a potentially pivotal defeat in N17.
It had been a rare positive week for Spurs with a spirited point at Anfield followed by a morale-boosting 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid. Yet, after the team bus was greeted with partisan backing by an estimated 10,000 fans, the hosts’ crumbled after a positive first half.
Igor Jesus’ 45th-minute opener gave Forest a crucial lead and Tottenham unravelled after Tudor’s double substitution at half-time, with Morgan Gibbs-White making it 2-0 in the 62nd minute before Taiwo Awoniyi tapped in with three minutes left to spark a mass exodus from the stands.
The defeat stretched Tottenham’s winless Premier League run to 13 games, leaving them 17th, only one point above West Ham, and piled the pressure on Tudor, who has lost five of his seven matches in charge.
“It’s a personal family issue and obviously it’s a difficult moment for him,” Saltor said on Tudor.
“First half, the first 44 minutes I thought were good, really good, creating chances, getting into the box.
“In the second half, probably we were unable to deal with the weight of the game.”
Tudor’s future will remain under the microscope given Tottenham’s precarious position, with a first relegation since 1977 a realistic possibility.
Saltor claimed to feel the “support” of the club hierarchy, but with three weeks until Spurs play again, chief executive Vinai Venkatesham, sporting director Johan Lange and majority owners ENIC – run by the Lewis Family Trust – must decide whether to roll the managerial dice again.
“We feel the support from everyone at the club and we’re just focusing on how we can help players,” Saltor insisted.
“Obviously, a lot of players, they’re leaving now for the internationals and as soon as they get back, get back on the train, come and try to get everyone up to speed and prepare for the next game.”
Saltor also confirmed the half-time change of Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence for Destiny Udogie and Lucas Bergvall was “tactical” by under-pressure Tudor.
For Forest and boss Vitor Pereira, it was a satisfactory end to a gruelling week in which they played 120 minutes on Thursday before getting the better of FC Midtjylland on penalties in the last 16 of the Europa League.
“A good week for us,” Pereira said.
“We must keep our mentality and we proved it today. It’s not about Tottenham, it’s not about West Ham, it’s not about Leeds and the teams that are here fighting against us.
“It is about us and what we want to be as a team.”
Pereira was also reminded of a painful last visit to Spurs in September when his Wolves team conceded a last-gasp equaliser in a 1-1 draw, which ultimately contributed towards his dismissal from Molineux later.
“I remember this and will never forget this game in my life because it was last second and we conceded,” Pereira added.
“(Joao) Palhinha scored, but you need to be resilient.
“And I came again here believing we can win the game and we did it.”
