JAKARTA - Tottenham Hotspur's new coach, Igor Tudor, insists he believes Spurs will remain in the English Premier League next season.
He said this ahead of his debut with the North London club against Arsenal in the derby.
"I'm 100 percent sure!" said Tudor when asked if Tottenham would remain an English league team next season, reported by the club's official website, Friday, February 20.
"It (the threat of relegation) is not important. Fight for every position, relegation, first place, a place in the UEFA, you get that position based on what you do during the week and on match day. Thinking about relegation gives nothing. All those targets are still far away and I never think about it too much. "
Tottenham are currently in 16th place in the table and are only five points clear of the relegation zone.
The situation led the management to sack Thomas Frank and appoint former Juventus coach Igor Tudor until the end of the season to boost their position in the standings.
Tudor's first match with Spurs immediately presented a tough challenge because they had to face the leaders of the standings and also the city rival, Arsenal.
The Croatian coach also dismissed the notion that the narrow distance from the red zone would affect his team's approach.
"Five points, 10 points, or two points, it's the same. We have to stay focused. Focus on what we can achieve. Looking down or up gives nothing," he said.
According to Tudor, the most important thing at the moment is to build the team's identity and togetherness.
"The players want clarity about what we want. The goal is to send a message about the values and the way we want to play. This is not about the system. The important thing is to be a team, to be a group that looks after each other," he said.
Tudor is also excited to make his debut at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium against Arsenal.
"It's an amazing game to restart. I've heard a lot of good things about them. We have to show we care and want to make changes as soon as possible," he said.
However, Tottenham are still overshadowed by injury problems. Tudor revealed that only 13 players were available in training, but he judged that the number was "enough to achieve what we want" in the match on Sunday.
Defender Cristian Romero is confirmed to be absent due to serving a suspension after receiving his second red card of the season.
Tudor also declined to reveal who would wear the captain's armband in the match.
"You'll see it on Sunday," he said.
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