Tottenham boss Igor Tudor delivers home truths after Arsenal thrashing: 'Become serious' and shed 'bad habits'

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.

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"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."

(c) Sky Sports 2026: Tottenham boss Igor Tudor delivers home truths after Arsenal thrashing: 'Become serious' and shed 'bad habits'