Can Tudor Spears almost win after only four matches?

Atletico, who had been nothing above average in those fateful 23 minutes, raced into a 4-0 lead, as Micky van de Ven failed to find his footing to put Antoine Griezmann ahead with a goal.

The final result makes the second leg of the round of 16 a formality. Tottenham only have a fight for survival now.

Tudor’s unique selling point in the coach’s volatile, nomadic career was supposed to be his ability to provide an instant spark of impact. At Tottenham, it was the Midas touch in reverse. Negative touch.

Four defeats in four games is the worst start for anyone in charge of Spurs, with each one more damaging and frustrating than the last. Tudor does not stop the Tottenham crisis, but rather accelerates it.

Regarding his future, Tudor said: “This is not an issue for me. This is not about my job. It is about helping the team.”

So far, Tudor has not fulfilled his part of the bargain. His days must now be measured in very small numbers.

Tudor has proven that he is not afraid to make big decisions. The snag is that he gets them wrong when Spurs can’t afford to.

Opinions will be divided on his decision to replace Kinski after just 17 minutes, between a coach saving the goalkeeper from himself or a harsh behavior that could kill the young player’s career.

It was a stunning move, a slap in the face for a manager who feels he has nothing to lose or perhaps feels he has already lost at Tottenham.

“It was a very rare thing. I have never done this in 15 years of coaching. I did it to keep the man and keep the team,” he said in a brief post-match inquest.

“It was an unbelievable situation.”

Of course, Theodor cannot be held responsible for what happened to Kinski, but it was an indication of how much things had deteriorated during his reign.

What was firmly on Tudor’s doorstep was his bold decision to drop Vicario and play Kinski and to say that backfired is a masterpiece of understatement.

When Kinski’s number rose, it was left to his Spurs teammates and even Atletico Madrid fans, who put aside their passion and partisanship to offer a sympathetic applause, to console him.

Theodore did not seem to have solace on his mind as the sad young man walked out.