Laura Woods was left stunned by Igor Tudor’s off-camera behaviour after his post-match interview with TNT Sports as the Tottenham boss stormed off without saying goodbye.
The interim Spurs manager endured the worst night of his nightmare tenure on Tuesday as he suffered his fourth defeat in four games.
The north Londoners conceded three goals in the first 15 minutes of their Champions League last-16 first-leg fixture away at Atletico Madrid. Tudor, whose position was already under pressure before the match, reacted by taking off goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky straight after the third goal.
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Having been subjected to humiliation, Kinsky was not acknowledged by his manager as the crestfallen goalkeeper made his way off the pitch and headed straight down the tunnel.
Tudor’s men finished the game with a 5-2 loss thanks to a catalogue of mistakes at the back, though Pedro Perro and Dominic Solanke’s goals ensured they’re not completely out of the tie just yet.
The manager was notably short with his answers and appeared agitated in his post-match interview with TNT Sports. Presenter Woods suggested Tudor did not even shake hands with the reporter interviewing him as he stormed off from the frosty interview - though the lack of handshake was not visible in the camera shot.
Woods said immediately afterwards: "Woah, that was a quick… I don’t even think there was a goodbye but we’ve seen tonight, he doesn’t really like saying goodbye to many people, does he?
"Straight down the tunnel after the game, no acknowledgement of the travelling fans. Look, he would rather not speak but questions need to continue to be asked and he must provide answers. He is the manager."
During the interview, Tudor was asked if he was confident he can turn Spurs’ disastrous form around. He replied: "I need to have [confidence]. I need to keep working, not speaking too much and staying focused on things we can do. It’s not the moment to explain too much, in this moment we need to stay calm and less talking is better."
When pressed on why things aren’t working, he bluntly said: "Better less talking. Now is not the moment to try to give big explanations."
Pundit Joe Hart took issue with that, telling Woods: "How can your man who’s put in charge to steer Tottenham into a better direction not want to speak? What kind of message is he sending there?
"He’s sending no message to the players. Did he send a message to the fans? He said he apologised to them there but he didn’t acknowledge them in the stadium."
Tudor appeared not to applaud the travelling supporters after the defeat - something which is often considered the bare minimum in English football.
The manager before the game made the bold decision to drop first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario after a poor run of form. Kinsky, 22, was handed his first start since October, which backfired horribly as the Czech keeper was at fault for two of the goals.
