Tottenham interim boss Igor Tudor says his players can either “cry or fight” as they seek to turn around their dire situation and avoid relegation from the Premier League.

Tudor, 47, has overseen four consecutive defeats – including three in the Premier League – in a dismal start since he succeeded Thomas Frank on 14 February.

The poor form has left Spurs just one point above the bottom three heading into Sunday’s visit to Premier League holders Liverpool and facing the prospect of a first relegation from the top flight since 1977.

The club’s season hit a new low during Tuesday’s 5-2 defeat by Atletico Madrid, in which they fell 4-0 down inside 22 minutes.

“Not an easy situation, not an easy moment. [It’s a] big challenge to change things,” Tudor told the media on Friday.

“Like everything in life, you can choose how to see the situation. You can cry or you can fight. You can be the victim or you can change something. This is the message I communicated to the players.

“The bottle is either half empty or half full. Nothing is full here, there are a lot of empty things.

“Difficult moments don’t last forever. I believe the players who take this as an opportunity, who stand up with the courage to change these things, will become better people and players afterwards.

“It is about all of us.”

More to follow.