Tottenham’s reported U-turn on strategy ahead of the Liverpool match is not just about whether Igor Tudor stays or goes. It is about who inside the club is really calling the shots and what they stand to gain from the chaos. Sports Illustrated led with the club actively considering a humiliating U-turn days before the trip to Anfield. The power play is who gets to decide, and who gets the blame.
The U-Turn and the Timeline
Igor Tudor was appointed interim manager on February 14, 2026. By mid-March, Sports Illustrated reported that Tottenham were actively considering replacing him ahead of their Liverpool fixture. Tudor had lost all four of his games in charge, including a 5-2 Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid. The club sat one point above the relegation zone and had not won a Premier League game since December 28. The same outlet described the potential reversal as a humiliating U-turn: the board would be ditching the manager they had just hired in a matter of weeks. ESPN and the BBC confirmed that Tudor was expected to remain in post for the Liverpool clash even as senior figures were said to be exploring alternatives. The contradiction is the point. Someone inside Tottenham is pushing to keep him; someone else is already looking for the next name. The power play is who wins that argument and how the story is spun.
Sports Illustrated has covered the crisis in detail, including the dressing-room fallout from Tudor’s decision to substitute goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky after 17 minutes against Atletico. The Guardian and the BBC have reported on player unrest and the manager’s message that his squad can cry or fight. The real story is not the headline U-turn but who inside the hierarchy is driving it. The BBC reported that the decision on Tudor’s future was left to club executives, specifically chief executive Vinai Venkatesham and sporting director Johan Lange, with ownership delegating rather than intervening. That means the power play is between Venkatesham, Lange, and the board, not between the owner and the manager. Whoever backs Tudor and whoever pushes for the U-turn is positioning for the next phase of the club’s structure.
What They Stand to Gain
Daniel Levy stepped down as executive chairman in September 2025. The Telegraph has argued that if Spurs are relegated, it will be on the new regime, not Levy. So the current leadership has every incentive to be seen to act decisively. A U-turn on Tudor could be framed as accountability: we tried, it failed, we are moving on. Keeping him and then sacking him after Liverpool could be framed the same way. The alternative is to back the manager and risk a relegation that would cost the club an estimated 250 million pounds, as The Times has noted. The power play is who gets to own the narrative. If Venkatesham and Lange sack Tudor, they are taking control. If they keep him and he loses again, they can say they gave him the Liverpool game. If they keep him and he wins, they look patient. The chaos is not accidental; it is the result of competing interests and no single clear authority.
What This Actually Means
The humiliating U-turn is a symptom. The cause is that Tottenham’s decision-making structure is fractured. Ownership has delegated to executives; the executives are reportedly split or at least hedging. The media gets a story about a manager on the brink. The real story is who orchestrated the hire, who is now considering the U-turn, and what each party stands to gain from the next move. Sports Illustrated put the U-turn on the front page. The power play is who inside Tottenham is really calling the shots.
What Is the Liverpool Trip?
Tottenham were due to face Liverpool at Anfield in a Premier League fixture in March 2026. The match came with Spurs one point above the relegation zone and Tudor under intense pressure after four straight defeats. Sports Illustrated and the BBC reported that the board was weighing a managerial change before or after the game, with Tudor eventually expected to remain in charge for the fixture. The trip became a focal point for the power play: who would decide whether Tudor stayed, and how would the result be used to justify the next move.
Who Runs Tottenham Now?
Following Daniel Levy’s departure as executive chairman in September 2025, day-to-day control sits with chief executive Vinai Venkatesham and the board, including chairman Peter Charrington and sporting director Johan Lange. ENIC and the Lewis family remain the majority owners but have delegated the Tudor decision to club executives. That means Venkatesham and Lange are the key decision-makers on whether Tudor stays or goes ahead of the Liverpool match and beyond.
Sources
Sports Illustrated, ESPN, BBC, BBC, The Guardian, The Telegraph