Igor Tudor absolved of blame amid 'terrible' Tottenham sack decision

Alan Shearer has describedTottenham Hotspur's's situation as a 'mess' - regardless of Igor Tudor. There is growing pressure on the interim manager with the club facing the real possibility of relegation.

Tudor signed with Spurs on a contract until the summer, back in February. However, the squad have not secured a victory in any of his five Premier League matches at the helm and have been eliminated from the Champions League.

A draw against Liverpool and a victory in the second leg of their Champions League encounter with Atletico Madrid sparked optimism that Spurs were beginning to reverse their fortunes. But this was quashed on Sunday when they suffered a 3-0 home loss to fellow relegation contenders Nottingham Forest. The outcome leaves Tottenham merely one point above the relegation zone.

This has also intensified pressure on Tudor, with rumours indicating he could be dismissed. Tottenham will be wary of making a rash decision as the manager is coping with the recent passing of his father.

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Shearer has declined to attribute the 'mess' that Spurs are in to Tudor. He also explained the significant improvement required if the team is to avoid relegation to the Championship.

Speaking to Betfair, the former forward stated: "It was really poor at the weekend again for Spurs. I watched the whole game and the alarming thing for Spurs is being beaten 3-0 by a team who you're scrapping with yourselves, particularly at home.

"And again, where was the response? Forest scored late on in the first half, and you're thinking, OK, what have you got?

"Give us something in reply, and the second half was even worse. You can feel the edginess, and I get that. I understand that. But defensively, they're just all over the place, and that's more important than anything, particularly at any level of football.

"You can't defend like that, like they did. The lack of energy or drive to stop balls coming into the box is one thing, and then the lack of fighting and scraping when people are in and around the box. There wasn't anyone anywhere near Morgan Gibbs-White before his goal. The alarming thing for Spurs is how are they going to keep a clean sheet? They're just a mess defensively."

Shearer stated unequivocally: "It's not Igor Tudor's fault, but obviously, he's picked up one point from five games, but the club was a mess before he got there.

"You're not going to be put in his situation without the club being in a mess. As tough as it is, he hasn't been able to have an impact on the squad and on the football club. Now, clearly, he's going through a terrible, horrible time off the pitch in terms of the death of his father. It's an impossible time for him and Spurs are in a deep mess."

The international break and the FA Cup quarter-finals mean that there will be a slight pause before Tottenham return to the pitch. They will aim to reignite their battle for survival when they face Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Sunday, 12 April (2pm kick-off).