New Tottenham head coach Igor Tudor faces an immediate tactical dilemma as he prepares for his debut against Arsenal on Sunday, live on Sky Sports. With 12 players unavailable due to injury and suspension, including suspended captain Cristian Romero, Tudor must decide whether to implement his preferred three-at-the-back system despite limited center-back options.

Tudor's tactical history suggests a back three is likely, having successfully deployed this formation at Juventus and Lazio. The Croatian coach replaced Maurizio Sarri at Lazio in March 2024, abandoning Sarri's 4-3-3 for a 3-4-2-1 setup, and repeated the strategy at Juventus when replacing Thiago Motta. However, Tottenham currently have only Micky van de Ven and Radu Dragusin as recognized center-backs, potentially forcing Tudor to use Joao Palhinha as an emergency defender.

Arsenal's record against back three systems provides mixed signals for Tudor. While the Gunners have lost only once to three-at-the-back setups since last season, they recently dropped points against Wolves who employed a similar formation. Tottenham's dire situation - sitting 16th in the table and winless in seven league games - adds pressure to Tudor's tactical decision as he attempts to arrest the club's alarming slide toward relegation.