Derby reality check: Tudor’s “best team in the world” line collapses into Spurs relegation war

Igor Tudor
February 2026

Tottenham’s 4-1 loss to Arsenal reinforced fears that Spurs are genuinely at risk of relegation, despite hopes of a “new manager bounce” under Tudor. Spurs had brief moments, including Kolo Muani pouncing on a Rice mistake and another goal ruled out for a shove on Gabriel, but Arsenal’s control exposed a major quality gap. Tudor’s pre-match bravado flipped to an internal reckoning, demanding the club “become serious” and saying the only fix is hard work and changing habits.