'Very angry' Igor Tudor calls for Tottenham flops to 'look in the mirror' after north London derby hammering by Arsenal

Tudor was in the dugout for the first time as Spurs were thumped once again by their north London rivals. Having seen Eberechi Eze score a hat-trick in the reverse fixture, on the way to a 4-1 win, the England international netted a brace on Sunday as Spurs once again had to watch the Gunners run out 4-1 victors, with Viktor Gyokeres also bagging two goals. 

With Spurs left languishing in 16th, just four points clear of West Ham, Tudor has ripped into his players, insisting they must "look in the mirror" if they want to climb clear of dire trouble.

He said: "Big gap between the teams, too much Arsenal for us in this game."

He added that Spurs have to "change the state of mind of the team - and the only way is to work. Even with the ball, lack of confidence is evident with the team. I am very sad, very angry, everything, but in some ways it's also good to understand what is our goal.

"The medicine is you look in the mirror, each of us, and really work to change the habits. We didn't need this (as a wake-up call). Arsenal are probably the best team in the world at this moment, but we can't use this as an excuse."

Since November 1st, Spurs have won just two of their 18 league games, and are at a point in their season where they simply cannot afford to keep dropping points. 

Tudor said to BBC Radio Five Live: "Difficult start against a team who is now in this moment. A different level of physical state of mind, so congratulations to them. They were much better and they deserve this win. I got the spirit which we wanted to do things, but it was not enough. It is nice to understand where we are in this moment.

"It showed me on Tuesday that we need to work hard and work hard and seriously. Now in this moment, the team is full of problems. The only key is to work on the training day by day and be humble. We need to be more aggressive - we need to be more compact. These are the keys.

"You understand the gap with the mental sharpness of one team and other teams. This is a thing we need to change. I saw players available to do this, but we need more time to do this. Thinking about relegation doesn't bring you anything to anybody."

BBC pundit Danny Murphy, a former Spurs midfielder, insists that the club will not fall through the trap door, despite their appalling performances. 

He said: "I don't think Spurs will go down. I think they have enough. If you keep losing games and confidence drops, it doesn't matter how many good players you have, it gets hard.

"I would be really surprised if they weren't able to fight their way out of it. The games coming up are all huge. I think they will have just enough.

"The fact we are mentioning Spurs going down is unbelievable. It's absolutely ridiculous really. Whether you blame recruitment or the owners, it would be catastrophic for that club. I have heard some fans suggest going down could be the best thing. I just don't see that."

Spurs face another London derby next weekend, as they take on Fulham. They will then face Crystal Palace, while Tudor's men still have a trip to Anfield to play Liverpool on the cards, as well as tough away games at Villa Park and Stamford Bridge to play Aston Villa and Chelsea, respectively.