Wednesday’s briefing: Tottenham’s Tudor era lurches to new low

It was a tricky night of Champions League football for the Premier League contingent, with damaging defeats for Tottenham and Liverpool and an agonising near miss for Newcastle as they came close to toppling Barcelona.

Spurs boss Igor Tudor, already under severe scrutiny just four games into his interim stint, saw further pressure heaped upon him following a 5-2 thrashing by Atletico Madrid. He selected Antonin Kinsky in goal only to substitute the shellshocked Czech keeper after just 17 error-strewn minutes.

Arne Slot also had a tough night in Turkey, where an early Mario Lemina goal went unanswered, while Barca only salvaged a draw at St James’ Park deep in added time.

Meanwhile, England stalwart Kyle Walker announced his international retirement after concluding he was no longer in the frame under Thomas Tuchel’s side.

Trouble for Tudor after the Kinsky calamity

A 5-2 defeat in Spurs’ last 16 first leg against Atletico Madrid left interim manager Tudor on rocky ground, with the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust calling for “emergency action” by the end of the night.

A fourth defeat from four under Tudor was made worse by his handling of back-up keeper Kinsky, who was thrown in at the deep end ahead of Guglielmo Vicario, only to be hooked at 3-0 down after little more than a quarter-of-an-hour on the pitch.

“Tonight’s performance and result is a total disgrace. It’s symptomatic of the abysmal state of things at Spurs right now,” a statement from THST read.

“Emergency action is needed as right now we are sleepwalking off the edge of a cliff. Being a Spurs fan has never been so difficult but supporters will not sit by and watch the club continue to decline.

Tudor denied that captain Cristian Romero had initiated Kinsky’s removal and added: “I recognise what we are and which problems we have. I recognise that every game, something happens. Sometimes it is very difficult to explain.”

Slot unhappy after Liverpool defeat in Istanbul

Slot’s hopes of celebrating his 100th match in charge of Liverpool were scotched after the Reds went down 1-0 in Istanbul.

The Dutchman felt his side created enough to get on the scoresheet but the closest they came was a disallowed effort from Ibrahima Konate.

Konate saw an equaliser ruled out for handball after a chaotic corner and Slot suggested “things will be more normal in a home game for us” after becoming frustrated by referee Jesus Gil Manzano’s decision-making in front of a hostile crowd.

“It’s safe to say we weren’t the only ones impressed by the atmosphere here today,” he said.

“If, if, if it’s correct that the goal was disallowed, which is difficult to judge as I’ve heard different opinions from people, it’s not completely obvious but let’s say that decision is right.

“Then I was even more frustrated about the fact that every free-kick and corner we took if we only look at Galatasaray players the referee already gave a free-kick for Galatasaray.”

Howe: Barca tie “very much alive” after draw

Eddie Howe says Newcastle have everything to play for in the second leg of their Champions League clash against La Liga giants Barcelona.

A famous 1-0 win was on the cards at St James’ Park after Harvey Barnes struck in the 86th minute but teenage star Lamine Yamal’s penalty with the last kick left things all square heading to the Nou Camp.

“The tie is very much alive, we played really well,” said Howe.

“We’ve showed we can play against the very best when we’re at our best. We showed our qualities. We’ve been really competitive. The challenge is we need more on a consistent basis.

“It was great to see us finally score and then the last attack of the game, the last kick of the game, it’s a tough one to take.”

Walker walks away with England century in sight

Kyle Walker chose to call time on his England career after reluctantly accepting his dream of reaching 100 caps would not become a reality.

Burnley right-back made his England debut in 2011 and went on to feature in the World Cup semi-final against Croatia in 2018 as well as European Championship finals in 2021 and 2024. He departs having made 96 appearances for his country, but had given up hope of adding four, having become a peripheral figure under Thomas Tuchel.

“I just feel that it’s the right time for me to step away from international football. I want to do it on my terms and I want to close it,” he told Gary Neville on The Overlap podcast.

“I think I’ve made it well known to everyone that to be the second black player to reach 100 caps after Ashley Cole would have been a great honour. But, having the conversations that I’ve had, it’s probably not going to be.

“(Tuchel) has got other players that he needs to concentrate on now, and the conversation that I was going to have with him might not have been a nice one for him.”

What’s on today?

Another big night of European action awaits, headlined by Manchester City’s visit to the Bernabeu to face Real Madrid. Chelsea also have a high-profile away day assignment, with manager Liam Rosenior returning to France to take on Paris St Germain.

Premier League leaders Arsenal are also on the road, taking on Bundesliga opposition in the form of Bayer Leverkusen.

There are six Championship matches, with Frank Lampard’s table-topping Coventry hosting Preston and second-placed Middlesbrough welcoming Charlton.