At best, Son Heung-min won the championship... "It's like giving up the Champions League." Tottenham "I'm more worried about the EPL relegation."

*This content was translated by AI.

There is no room to enjoy the best stage in Europe. The interim head coach, facing the risk of relegation from the English Premier League (EPL), expressed his desperate feelings even before the Champions League game.

Tottenham Hotspur, under the interim coach Igor Tudor (48), will face Atletico Madrid in the first round of the 2025-2026 UEFA Champions League (UCL) round of 16 at Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain, at 5 a.m. on the 11th (Korea time).

Tottenham won the UEFA Europa League (UEL) under Captain Son Heung-min (34) last season and qualified for the Champions League this season.

This season, Tottenham advanced to the round of 16 with five wins, two draws and one loss in eight Champions League phase games.

However, Tottenham has been on the verge of relegation since internal and external noise, including the replacement of Thomas Frank due to poor EPL.

According to the British 'BBC', Tudor said in a pre-press conference, "Tottenham's first goal is to stay in the Premier League. This is a fact and a matter of course to be said publicly," he said, making it official that league survival is a top priority rather than the Champions League.

In addition, coach Tutor said, "The Champions League is kind of like a bonus. That doesn't mean you don't want to advance to the next round, he said, but "We have to approach it from a completely different perspective from the EPL." I hope this game will serve as an opportunity to identify Tottenham's problems and change in the right direction," he said.

There is no end in sight to Tottenham's downfall. Tudor, who has been deployed as a firefighter since former coach Thomas Frank was replaced last month due to poor performance, lost all three league games since his inauguration. In particular, it is in the worst swamp of five consecutive league losses and 11 consecutive games (4 draws and 7 losses), including a 1-3 complete defeat against Crystal Palace on the 6th.

Currently, Tottenham is only one point behind West Ham United, ranked 18th in the relegation zone, falling to 16th place (29 points) in the league. If the relegation becomes a reality, Tottenham will be disgraced to fall to the second division for the first time in 49 years since the 1977-1978 season.

After Son Heung-min, who was a spiritual support, left for Los Angeles FC, the collapse is accelerating. According to reports such as "Sportsbible" and "Daily Mail," Tottenham has recently completely collapsed in about six months.

Even defenders Mickey van der Penn and Jed Spence went straight to the locker room, turning a blind eye to the applause of Tottenham fans, while head coach Jon Hatinga left the team 32 days after taking office, criticizing the club's management. Shortly after taking office, Tudor also criticized Tottenham's attack, saying, "The level of scoring a goal is not enough, and the defense lacks the will."

First of all, Tudor is aiming to turn the mood around in the Atletico match. Captain Christian Romero and Spence, who returned from disciplinary action, returned to the defense. "It's important that the main players are coming back," Tudor said. "As it's a completely different stage from the league, let's see what happens tomorrow." He also added, "Hishalisson will start tomorrow's game."

However, Tottenham is known to be in confusion. In fact, Tudor is on the verge of being replaced just three weeks after his inauguration. According to ESPN, when asked about the possibility of being replaced, Tudor said, "I don't think so. I have something to do and that's all," he said in a sharp response.

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*This content was translated by AI.