'Intense, aggressive, entertaining' - what will Tudor bring to Spurs?

Igor Tudor has agreed to take charge of Tottenham for the remainder of the season, so what can supporters expect to see from his side?

Following his appointment as interim head coach, Tudor's first game in charge will be a significant one as Spurs host north London rivals Arsenal in the Premier League on 22 February.

That will allow the 47-year-old less than a week to attempt to implement his style of play once the players return to training on Monday - and they could be in for a shock.

"His style is intense," George Boxall, a football journalist based in Marseille, where Tudor managed between 2022 and 2023, tells BBC Sport.

"The players do a hell of a lot of running. There's lots of intensity, lots of pressing.

"He is a really strong personality and he could be a good appointment for Tottenham if they feel they need an electroshock."

Tudor has been out of work since being sacked by Juventus in October 2025 and is set for his first spell in England, after previously taking charge of clubs in Italy, France, Turkey, Croatia and Greece.

He is tasked, first and foremost, with easing Tottenham's relegation fears, after a 2-1 loss to Newcastle in Thomas Frank's final match on Tuesday left them five points above the bottom three.

Having earned a reputation as a no-nonsense defender during a playing career in which he won 55 caps for Croatia and made more than 150 appearances for Italian giants Juventus, there is one certain non-negotiable for Tudor as a manager.

"He asks his players to run a lot. In a previous interview he said 'If you don't run, you don't play'," says L'Equipe journalist Pierre-Etienne Minonzio.

"In his one season in Marseille it was always the same way of playing - 3-5-2 - and it was great to watch.

"It was not easy because Marseille's best player was Dimitri Payet, a very gifted player but not well-known for running, and he didn't play.

"It was a joke in L'Equipe - if Igor Tudor had Lionel Messi in his squad, Messi would not play!"

Tudor's sole season in France saw Marseille finish third behind Paris St-Germain and Lens, despite surpassing the club's points total from the previous campaign when they finished second.

"He did pretty well in Ligue 1. What I liked is that he doesn't try to be liked. He is very direct, says what he thinks and doesn't try to be attractive. There is no seduction," says Minonzio.

"It is the same with the players. He keeps his distance and his obsession is to make training intense with a lot of running so they can be physically fit for the game."

Tudor won back-to-back Serie A titles with Juventus in 2001-02 and 2002-03, also starting in the 2003 Champions League final, which his side lost to AC Milan.

Having begun his management career with former club Hajduk Split, Tudor had spells with Galatasaray, Udinese, Marseille and Lazio before he replaced Thiago Motta at former club Juventus in March 2025.

Initially appointed as interim head coach, Tudor was given the job full-time after leading Juventus to a fourth-placed finish in Serie A and Champions League qualification.

"Tudor is an aggressive manager and that is also what he demands from his clubs," says Italian football journalist Daniele Verri.

"A lot of pressing. When he conquers the ball, he goes vertical. Big strong defenders. He likes to play on the wings. But the main characteristic is being aggressive.

"Juventus brought him in because he was a former player and they wanted Juventus DNA, someone fans could identify with due to his past, being aggressive, vertical, fighting hard."

But, according to Verri, Damien Commoli's arrival as Juventus' general manager that summer led to growing tension.

Tudor was sacked after just seven months following an eight-game winless run, leaving The Old Lady eighth in Serie A and 25th in the Champions League's league phase.

He departed with eight wins in 17 league games for a win rate of 47.1%.

"Commoli and Tudor never really got on. Tudor wanted more say during the transfer market, he wanted Kolo Muani to stay and that didn't happen," says Verri.

"He kept changing the starting 11 and that brought uncertainty. Tension grew. Tudor criticised what Juventus did in the market during press conferences, and openly criticised the players after the Lazio defeat before he was sacked.

"After a relatively good start, he lost control of the team and they stopped performing. The fans were obviously not happy, they are used to winning.

"Juventus never really had the impression they could take the next step with Tudor."

Analysis by BBC Sport senior football correspondent Sami Mokbel

First of all, they wanted an interim head coach until the end of the season. And that immediately narrows the field down.

Within that, the Spurs hierarchy were looking for someone with top level managerial experience who plays attacking football.

After reviewing their options, it is understood Spurs felt Tudor fit the bill for a few key reasons.

He has experience of working at some top European clubs – and managing big name players.

Tudor's reputation is for aggressive football with an attacking intent. This element was particularly important to Spurs after criticism of their style of play under Frank.

Tottenham are also said to have admired his work improving teams on a short-term basis.

For example, his Lazio team were unbeaten in the league for his first two months after he joined.

At Juventus, he lost only one of his first nine games. In his first full season, he was unbeaten for his first eight matches. His downfall came quickly, however, following that run after losing three away games in a week – to Real Madrid, Lazio and Como.

Tudor will be an interim manager and it is thought that they will be looking to secure a different, long-term option in the summer.

However, like with Michael Carrick at Manchester United, it may well be an intriguing conundrum if he hits the ground running and sustains a good run of form through what is left of the season.