For the first time in a long while, there is a glimmer of optimism at Tottenham. They come up against a wobbly Arsenal this weekend, with the hopes of a new head coach bounce under Igor Tudor. The recruit has already spoken about Arsenal in a manner that Thomas Frank never did: unlike Frank, Tudor is out for victory.
Speaking to the press recently, Igor Tudor appeared excited for the North London Derby, but not in the same manner as Thomas Frank was. Tudor is not on the sideline to be a fan of Arsenal, he's on the sideline to beat them.
In his own words, Tudor said, "Big week. This derby is a fantastic game to play. We want to play this game in a way that our fans will like, giving everything that we have, in the right way, brave… but in the same way intelligent and smart to achieve what we want, and that’s the victory.”
Igor Tudor sets himself apart from Arsenal fan Thomas Frank
It is already a stark difference from when Thomas Frank was in charge. Not to beat the same tune to death, but everybody knows he secretly loved Arsenal. He committed the cardinal sin of any Tottenham manager: showing any mercy to Arsenal.
The North London Derby under Thomas Frank felt like Tottenham went into it having accepted a loss already. There was no fight, and the whole approach confirmed Tottenham's loss before a ball was kicked.
Igor Tudor, on the other hand, has approached this differently than Thomas Frank. He won't roll over, and he won't accept mediocrity. He is fully aware that he's being brought in for one job: to save Tottenham from the mess that Thomas Frank avoided fixing.
Frank was a people pleaser, first and foremost, but Tudor is the opposite of that. It's pretty clear from his media appearances that he is aware of Tottenham's dire position, and more importantly, he eyes a route out of the mediocrity.
Igor Tudor wouldn't need to do much more than beat Arsenal at the weekend to make his hire worthwhile. Tottenham fans don't expect sparkling silverware from this season; that ship seems to have sailed, but they can at least have a strong end to the season and rebuild for the next campaign under a longer-term head coach.
Tottenham fans never need to be reminded that beating Arsenal is a good thing, but doing so this weekend would send a clear message to the rest of the Premier League: Tottenham are back. Oh, and they're led by a guy who doesn't love Arsenal.