'Cry or battle': Tudor delivers motivational call to struggling Tottenham

Temporary Tottenham boss Igor Tudor stated that his troubled squad needs to rise up and "fight" to escape the humiliation of falling out of the Premier League.

Tudor has suffered defeats in all four games since stepping in last month, part of a club worst streak of six losses in a row across all tournaments.

Tottenham sit only one point clear of the drop zone before their tough away match against Liverpool on Sunday, facing the prospect of leaving Englands elite league for the first time since 1977.

Tudors side were thrashed 5-2 by Atletico Madrid in the Champions League during the week, following a string of mishaps.

Goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky was taken off early in his Champions League bow after conceding two gifts to Atletico, bookended by a stumble from Micky van de Ven that left Antoine Griezmann with an easy chance for the Spanish sides second goal.

"You can cry or you can fight," Tudor remarked on Friday, following pressure for his removal earlier in the week.

"You can play the victim or decide to 'I can make a difference' and this is the starting point I want to set, the key message to the players."

Compounding Tottenhams difficulties, a nasty head collision between skipper Cristian Romero and Joao Palhinha right at the end in Madrid has sidelined both for the Anfield visit under concussion rules.

Van de Ven is also absent through suspension after his dismissal in last weeks 3-1 loss to Crystal Palace.

Yves Bissouma has added to the growing injury roll call, along with several others like James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Mohammed Kudus.

"We face numerous issues in putting together a starting lineup. Thats the reality here," Tudor noted. "We begin constructing something, then setbacks occur, such as a late red card or multiple injuries.

"Its exceptionally uncommon. Throughout my career, Ive never encountered this where two players sit out nearly every match. Its highly irregular, yet we must adapt and focus on what we can influence."

The ex-Juventus manager faced backlash for deploying Kinsky in the intense atmosphere of the Metropolitano and then not recognising the 23-year-olds exit from the pitch.

Ex-Manchester United keeper Peter Schmeichel claimed he had "ruined" the Czech youth internationals prospects.

Tudor justified offering Kinsky the opportunity but verified that regular first choice Guglielmo Vicario will line up versus Liverpool.