Igor Tudor’s mandate at Tottenham was always going to be tested sooner or later. The Croatian took over in mid-February from the sacked Thomas Frank — inheriting a club in 16th place, having won twice in 17 league games.
His unveiling was confident: “I understand the responsibility I have been handed and my focus is clear. To bring greater consistency to our performances and compete with conviction in every match.”
This Sunday evening, that conviction gets its most public examination yet. Liverpool vs Tottenham at Anfield, 4:30pm kick-off, kicks off Matchweek 30. Spurs are 29 points, joint 16th with West Ham and Nottingham Forest. Liverpool are sixth on 48. The gap between them in the table is 19 points.
Liverpool’s home record against Spurs is remarkable by any measure — they are unbeaten in 15 consecutive meetings across all competitions at Anfield.
That’s not a rough patch for Tottenham. That is a sustained, generational inability to win at that ground. The bookmakers have Liverpool at 73% win probability, with just an 11.6% chance of a Spurs victory.
What makes the fixture genuinely interesting is what it represents for Tudor’s rebuild. He has had barely a month with this squad. His first game was the north London derby.
His squad is depleted — Tottenham have rotated heavily through the bottom of the table while also navigating Champions League football, now entering the knockout rounds. Getting anything from Anfield would be a significant statement of intent.
The broader relegation picture adds urgency. Spurs, Forest, and West Ham are all on 29 points — level on points, all desperately trying to escape. Of the three, Spurs arguably have the hardest run of fixtures remaining.
What Tudor does with Anfield, even in defeat, will tell you a great deal about whether this team has been genuinely stabilised or is merely treading water until the end of season.