Tottenham Hotspur’s new interim manager Igor Tudor has admitted the club’s current Premier League position is “unacceptable” as he looks to steer Spurs away from a potential relegation battle.

The former Juventus boss has been appointed until the end of the season after Tottenham slid to 16th in the table under Thomas Frank, who was dismissed last week.

Tudor’s first major test comes on Sunday when Spurs host league leaders Arsenal in the north London derby. Despite inheriting a squad depleted by injuries, he insists there can be no excuses.

“I need to be, with my staff, very intelligent to find the best possible way in a very short time,” Tudor told the club’s in-house media channel. “I’m coming here knowing that the situation is not easy. There is no time to find excuses. What I said from the first day here, each of us needs to give something more, something extra.”

Tottenham currently hold a five-point cushion over West Ham United in the fight to avoid the drop. However, the Hammers have collected seven more points than Spurs across the last eight league matches under Nuno Espirito Santo, while Tottenham have managed just two wins in their previous 17 top-flight games.

“The position of the club in this moment is one that nobody can accept,” Tudor added. “Every Tottenham fan cannot accept the situation. We are aware of that. But it’s not enough to just be aware of that.”

He also acknowledged the challenges posed by injuries, stressing the need to adapt quickly. “The situation is not easy because we have a lot of injured players, so we need first to find the best system to suit the players that are available in this moment.”

Captain Cristian Romero is suspended for the visit of Arsenal, while James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Mohammed Kudus, Richarlison, Rodrigo Bentancur and Lucas Bergvall are also expected to miss out through injury.