Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Igor Tudor has called on relegation-threatened Tottenham to shed their "bad habits" and become "serious" after they were thrashed 4-1 at home to Arsenal in his first game in charge.
Spurs' latest north London hammering has plunged them further into trouble as they sit four points above the bottom three and remain the only team in the Premier League to have not won a game in 2026.
Tudor, who has been parachuted in to save Spurs' season, remains convinced they will stay up, but delivered some home truths about the squad he has inherited from Thomas Frank.
Arsenal move five clear at top as Eze and Gyokeres torment Spurs
Redknapp: Arsenal in different league to Spurs - and could be next season
Tottenham news & transfers⚪| Spurs fixtures & scores
Got Sky? Watch Tottenham games LIVE on your phone📱
"I know the truth [about this team], now I saw the truth. It's not nice, but it is how it is," Tudor told Sky Sports.
"Of course, I am confident [of survival]. I believe these are good players with bad habits.
"Nobody can tell me we don't have quality. But we need to change a mental switch and have this mental sharpness to be in the game from the first minutes and also the physicality to do this.
"To be physical, you need to work hard, otherwise it's a problem. Too many players had problems. That's the result."
Asked what he learned about his team, Tudor said: "That we need to work. Too many bad habits in the past. We need to look at ourselves, grow and be humble.
"We need to run more, play better, defend better, win duels, second balls.
"The players wanted [it], they showed passion, wanted to run, but when we pressed high, they don't arrive or take the ball in a block.
"[Arsenal] are strong, they have more power, more energy and they believe more. That's the key in the end."
'What is Spurs' goal? To become serious'
With 11 games remaining to retain their Premier League status, Tudor says Tottenham must "become serious" and change their habits.
"We need more time to be in a physical moment and physical situation where we can go strong and take the ball. Now we are not in that moment," he said.
"Even with the ball, a lack of confidence is very evident in the team.
"We wanted and prepared to do the things but there is an opponent, there is a reality today. I'm very sad and very angry and everything, but in one way it is also good to understand where our goal is. What is the goal of this club? What is the goal of this team? What is the goal of this coach, these players, this staff?
"To become serious. Serious, not just a group of 20 players, and the medicine is you look in the mirror. Each of us look in the mirror and really try, really start to change the habits.
"We didn't need this game for sure. Arsenal are probably the best team now in the world so it was not easy.
"I also played a lot of derbies and as a coach, they give you something more like mentality or motivation but there are also other things that you cannot change in the three or four training sessions - it's impossible."
Gary Neville says Arsenal have answered questions in their win at Tottenham, and withstood the pressure put on them by Manchester City in the Premier League title race.
The Gunners were 4-1 winners at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, sending them five points clear at the top of the table.
It comes after questions were asked on their mentality following a 2-2 draw at Wolves in midweek, and hours after Man City beat Newcastle to close the gap.
Speaking after the game on the Gary Neville Podcast, the Sky Sports pundit believes Arsenal stood up to the multiple challenges they faced, and gave his assessment of how the title race could pan out in the coming weeks...
Tottenham 1-4 Arsenal - report and highlights
Jamie Redknapp: Arsenal in different league to Spurs - and could be next season
Viktor Gyokeres has best game for Arsenal, so why was it so good?
Got Sky? Watch Premier League games LIVE on your phone📱
Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW📺
"It was really important what happened today because it's too early for that real title pressure. We're not quite in the home straight - there's 10 games to go and they are eroding fast.
"But this is going to get really hot when it gets into April. You're now getting to a point whereby games really do count and when you drop points - and Arsenal have been on a difficult run.
"There were big question marks of Arsenal at the start of the game and they handled it. They played well and they dominated the first 20 minutes. They then go and get the goal and it's really good.
"Then they have the one blip when they let Tottenham back in it within 30 seconds, so there's another big question coming when they come out for the second half, but they've answered it.
"The big question at 2-1 then is 'can they go and kill the game off? Are they going to let Tottenham back into it?' And they've answered that.
"There's a number of questions throughout this match that Arsenal have answered. Can they score goals? They've done everything right today and playing here [at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium] was perfect for them."
'Man City sent a message - and Arsenal withstood it'
"Man City are dangerous with the fact they've got [Omar] Marmoush, [Erling] Haaland, [Rayan] Cherki, [Antoine] Semenyo, [Phil] Foden. If they can keep the centre-backs fit, they've got a chance. The goalkeeper's good, the manager is exceptional.
"The celebrations at the end [after Newcastle] from Haaland and Pep Guardiola were meaningful. They were sending a message - that was mind games at play. Pep will say it's not, but it is.
"Every time you speak now for the next two months, every time you do something on the pitch, it's going to be transmitting to the opposition team - that's vulnerabilities, strength, celebrations, whatever it is.
"So what Arsenal had to cope with and the questions that they've had to answer, I missed one of them out and that was the fact that Man City have sent a message that we're coming for you and we're going to be breathing down your neck.
"Arsenal have withstood that, and they're going to have to withstand that for another six to eight weeks. They were never going to get this Premier League title handed to them on a plate. It doesn't work like that.
"It's a struggle, it's a battle, it's a fight and this City team aren't quite the team that were going through those fights with Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool, but there's still some characters in that dressing room who understand it and know it - and particularly the manager, so they're going to be so dangerous.
"I think Arsenal will get there, but it doesn't surprise me that they are making mistakes and that City are coming back at them. They'll almost crawl over the line in the end.
"It's going to be a massive struggle. I don't think it's going to be easy and that game is going to be monumental at the Etihad [in the Premier League on April 18]."
'If Arsenal want the title, they have to win at the Etihad'
"I have thought for a number of years when Arsenal have been going for this title that they're going to have to go and win at the Etihad. That's the only real way.
"The Carabao Cup final [on March 22] is a chance to send a message, because you're playing directly against them and you can cause them some real pain by taking a medal from around the necks, but what you can do is go and beat them at their own place.
"You go into Manchester City on that day and you're going to silence them and rock them to the core if you win. But on the other hand, if City beat you up like they did two or three years ago, when Arsenal had those problems defensively, it rocks you the other way.
"That's in the far distance, it's not to start thinking about that now, but we know it's coming. The Arsenal fans know it's coming, the City fans know it's coming and it's about jostling for position
"If you can just have a cushion going into that game, it gives Arteta a bit of comfort. This is the moment this year where Arsenal might be a couple of points in front, they might be near to level, they might be three points in front, but I think they'll go and win at City and that'll be where you really do recognise that they are champions.
"But that's a wild prediction about a game that's coming in five or six weeks, and by then a lot will have happened.
"Arsenal have sent the perfect message [on Sunday], so what City will be looking towards next week is a really difficult game away at Leeds on the Saturday, and Arsenal play Chelsea on the Sunday.
"Then Arsenal have got to go and do it again, if City do that [win at Leeds]. Playing first is a big advantage if you can go and get the points on the board, and that's what Pep will be looking at right now.
"I love this point in the season. I love it when there's a title race; there's nothing worse when you see a season peter out… I think we're going to get a bit of a blockbuster and it's going to be exciting."
There are still a lot of questions about Arsenal, the title race and what is to come from them in the run-in this season. But one thing is absolutely certain: Viktor Gyokeres had his best game for the club against Tottenham.
Mikel Arteta, Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher and Jamie Redknapp all felt the Arsenal striker hit a new level in one of Arsenal's biggest games of the season. His two second-half goals saw him share the stage with Eberechi Eze and his own brace, but there was much more to Gyokeres' game than that.
"I thought it was his best moment of the season," said Neville. "Not just because he scored two in a game against the biggest rivals and had a wonderful celebration over there with the Arsenal fans, but because his general performance from start to finish is what you would expect from him."
Tottenham 1-4 Arsenal - Match report & reaction
Live Premier League table | Watch FREE PL highlights
Got Sky? Watch Premier League games LIVE on your phone📱
Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW📺
In his display at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Gyokeres had the most touches he's managed in a single game since joining Arsenal, by quite a distance. He was more involved - but, crucially, those touches led to substantial output.
Gyokeres was central to Arsenal's threat on the night. He nearly gave the Gunners the lead within minutes as he curled a first half shot wide of goal in that left channel - after being given too much space by Radu Dragusin.
It was a warning sign of what was to come - as, again, minutes into the second period he was given the space to fire from the edge of the box to put Arsenal 2-1 up.
"We do that move a few times in training," said Gyokeres to Sky Sports after the game - before saying he took note of Eze's strikes in the reverse fixture against Spurs as inspiration for it.
After all, they all came in the same area of the pitch. Edge of the box, middle of the goal.
For Eze, the feeling was mutual, as Arsenal's No 10 admitted his own two-goal performance would not have been possible without Gyokeres. "Vik was doing it all game, you can see his work ethic," Eze told Sky Sports.
"He helps the team, not just with his goals but the effort he puts in. It gets players like me in the best positions and it helps a lot. He's got his two goals today which he deserves."
That's not the first time an Arsenal player has spoken about how underrated Gyokeres is at bringing others into play in a selfless manner.
After the 3-2 win against Bournemouth in January, Declan Rice paid tribute to Gyokeres for taking defenders away so the England midfielder could score on the south coast.
"With my first goal, without him making that run from Gabriel Martinelli's flick and holding it, setting it off to Martin Odegaard, that goal wouldn't happen," Rice said at the time. "That was a pivotal moment in the game."
That is because of a few reasons. Firstly, Gyokeres attracts other defenders like no other Premier League player. Tracking data from this season shows the Arsenal striker is afforded the least amount of space when he's available to be given the ball.
And that means he can't spin away from defenders, so is forced to hold the ball up. Gyokeres has held the ball up more times than any other Premier League player this season. Only two Premier League players have retained the ball more times.
"It's tough for him, because he's got two defenders on him all game, all over him," Rice added in January. "So he has to use his strength, he has to do all he can to help the team.
"But at the minute, defenders in the Premier League want to be able to stop Viktor Gyökeres, because he's one of the best strikers in the world. Trust me, he's doing unbelievably for us, and we wouldn't be where we are without him."
What we saw against Spurs was what happens if you give Gyokeres too much space to manoeuvre. The first goal he had time to fire in from the edge of the box. The second goal saw him with green grass to move into with Spurs committing bodies forward.
Gyokeres won't get that every game. As Redknapp said: "It was almost hard to assess because of how poor Tottenham were."
But it will be crucial as Arsenal play high-profile games in the season run-in. Like Spurs did on Sunday, teams will step onto Arteta's side a bit more in cup games and Europe. As will Manchester City in that crucial league game in April.
Gyokeres' two goals against Spurs now means he has more Premier League goals than any other player in 2026 in all competitions.
With four goals in his last five Premier League games - and seven in his last 12 matches in all competitions for the Gunners - he seems to be getting the goals his overall play has merited.
If Gyokeres remains consistent, he will be crucial for Arsenal as they fight on all four fronts. "He needs to kick on from that," said Neville. "He set himself a level there today."
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Jamie Redknapp says Arsenal are in a different league to Tottenham following the Gunners' 4-1 win on Sunday - and has warned that could become reality with the threat of relegation looming.
New Spurs boss Igor Tudor said his team will "100 per cent" avoid relegation this season but suffered an emphatic defeat to their north London rivals at home in his first game in charge, meaning they remain in 16th, four points above the bottom three.
Spurs are winless in the top-flight in 2026 with 11 games remaining in the Premier League campaign.
Tottenham 1-4 Arsenal - Match report & reaction
As it happened | Teams | Stats
Live Premier League table | Watch FREE PL highlights
Got Sky? Watch Premier League games LIVE on your phone📱
Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW📺
Doubles from Viktor Gyokeres and Eberechi Eze secured bragging rights on Sunday, moving five points clear at the top of the table in the process, with Arsenal fans chanting "we'll never play you again" from the away end at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
"They were magnificent today. You just felt there was control about this Arsenal side," Redknapp said on Sky Sports.
"It was a complete mismatch. They were in different leagues, Arsenal were so classy. They were so much better than Tottenham; it was like two different leagues.
"If Tottenham aren't careful, they might be in a different league. They cannot keep performing like this.
"They have not won a game in 2026 [in the league]; it is a team devoid of personality. They've had a personality bypass. They have to somehow show some character. They cannot carry on every year like this.
"Arsenal were fantastic, too good for Tottenham."
Tudor: We didn't do enough, Arsenal were much better
Tudor's first game in charge offered a harsh reminder of the current problems plaguing Tottenham, such as the 11 senior players missing due to injury or suspension, while also highlighting the chasm that separates them from their north London rivals.
"I'm sad because we didn't do enough. Arsenal was much better," Tudor told Sky Sports after the game.
"This time there was too much gap between the two teams. Even the physical problems we made to make 11 players [on the pitch] plus three [substitutes].
"It's good to show and see this kind of team [like Arsenal], to show us where we need to be. It shows work and hard, because we struggle in a lot of things.
"Psychologically, we need to come out of this moment, the only way is work. Stay quiet, stay humble. And look in the future day by day, growing and growing day by day and week. It's too strong in this moment.
"We need to work. There were too many bad habits in the past. Each of us, each part of the team needs to look at ourselves, grow and be humble. It's all about work. We need to run more, work win duels and second balls.
"We prepared this for four or five days, but they were faster.
"The players showed their passion, they wanted to run and they wanted to do. But we pressed high and don't arrive and take the ball, they are stronger, they have more power and energy. They believe more, that's the key in the end. That's it. Take the lessons."
Despite the defeat, Tudor remains confident he will guide the club to safety. He added: "Of course I am confident. These are players who are a good group with bad habits.
"Nobody can tell me we don't have quality. But we need to change, a mental switch and have this mental sharpness to be in the game from the first and second minutes. And have the physicality.
"One or two players did not have good moments, but today it can happen. Too many players had problems. That's the result."
Van de Ven: Arsenal were the better team
Spurs defender Micky van de Ven echoed the claims made by Redknapp after admitting the better side walked away with bragging rights on Sunday afternoon.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "I think Arsenal overall was the better team. In the first half we were still in the game, it was 1-1. Two minutes into the second half, they scored to make it 2-1 and after that it was really difficult.
"I think maybe sometimes in the press we could have done a bit better. We pressed them quite high but Arsenal came out of it a few times and it's difficult to come back quick.
"Today, they were just the better team, they created way more than us.
"It's a risk when you press up high and go man v man. If one guy is too late, you're going to be open. It's the way you have to deal with it. But when you press high and win it, there are so many chances to score.
"But the opposite, when they come out, it's a big risk."
When asked if Spurs are in a relegation battle with just 11 games to go in the Premier League season, Van de Ven added: "We just need to win the games. Step by step we need to look, next up is Fulham and that's the most important one for us."
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player