Tottenham's 'disgraceful replacement' has flooded with criticism, "There was no comfort, the worst player management."

*This content was translated by AI.

Strong criticism continues against Tottenham manager Igor Tudor (Croatia), who decided to replace the goalkeeper in the 17th minute of the first half due to a series of mistakes at the beginning of the game.

Tudor replaced Antonin Kinski, the 2003 goalkeeper who lost three goals in the first 15 minutes of the first round of the 2025-2026 UEFA Champions League at Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain, two minutes later.

It is not common to replace a goalkeeper during the game unless there is a special reason, such as an injury, and even changing a goalkeeper less than 20 minutes into the game was an unprecedented decision.

Coach Tudor also said at a press conference after the game, "It was the first time in my 15 years as a coach," but added, "It was a measure to protect players and teams. Kinski apologized to the team, and both my team members and I support him. Kinski will understand, he explained.

However, no matter how poor the performance was, criticism continues from all over the soccer world that the decision to replace him in the 17th minute of the first half was not the right choice as a coach. Even Coach Tudor turned a blind eye without explaining or consoling Kinski as he was replaced and leaving the stadium.

Goalkeeper Joe Hart, who also belonged to Tottenham, told TNT Sports after the game: "Kinski is a 22-year-old young player. There was also no intention of harming the team. There have been some mistakes, but it's too much to replace players in such a situation, he said. "Any goalkeeper can go through such a situation. Gianluigi Buffon, Manuel Neuer, and Peter Schmeichel must have had such moments."

He continued, "At least I should have treated him personally. I understand the situation, but this issue needs to be dealt with seriously. It was such a ridiculous thing. The players on the bench had no choice but to comfort Kinski, whose heart was breaking, he added.

Winger McManaman from Liverpool and Real Madrid also said, "It was the worst player management," adding, "Everyone knows that something happened and mistakes were made. The important thing was not to replace it, but to tell 'don't bother'. Leaving the replacement itself, I had to approach the player and comfort him. Five seconds was enough. It doesn't help a young player's career at all. The goalkeeper had a terrible night, but the coach didn't even comfort him," he criticized.

Schmeichel, from Manchester United, also told CBS Sports, "It's really unfortunate. Anyone can make mistakes. The replacement will also have a big impact on the rest of his career. Now everyone in football will remember this moment (17 minutes replacement) whenever they see him."

Schmeichel said, "I needed a choice as a coach, and the possibility of a turnaround was, of course, slim as we were trailing 0-3. "But I should have kept using him until at least the first half," he said. "I think Tudor ruined Kinski's career. It will take a lot of effort to get out of the shock," he added.

Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea (Fiorentina) also said on social media, "Anyone who hasn't played goalkeeper will not understand how difficult a position it is. Raise your head and run again," he wrote. Although he did not directly mention his name, local media interpreted it as a message of support for Ilhedi Kinski.

Tottenham lost two more goals after Kinski's replacement, losing 2-5 to AT Madrid, putting a lot of pressure on them to win the second game by more than four goals. The defeat left the team in a six-game losing streak, the first time in Tottenham's 143-year history since its foundation in 1882.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.