Tottenham Hotspur are edging closer to the drop after their loss to Sunderland. Cristian Romero left the field in tears with 20 minutes remaining at Sunderland. Roberto de Zerbi’s reign as head coach started with a defeat.
De Zerbi’s Spurs Start with Defeat
Roberto de Zerbi watched in anguish as Cristian Romero walked past him in tears. De Zerbi’s hopes of a fast start ended brutally as Spurs failed to show any significant response to the Italian’s arrival. The tearful departure of De Zerbi’s leader on the field was another harrowing chapter. Spurs are without a win in 14 Premier League games stretching back to 28 December at Crystal Palace.
Relegation Fears Grow
The question of whether Spurs are too good to go down was consigned to the dustbin long ago. A more pertinent question now is – are Spurs too bad to stay up? On the grim evidence that unfolded in the Wearside sunshine, it looks like they are. In football terms, this is now a critical emergency for Spurs.
De Zerbi’s Psychological Challenge
De Zerbi’s reputation has been forged as a visionary coach at Brighton and Marseille. He now needs to act as a psychologist as much as training ground strategist to coax something from this subsiding Spurs team.
“My job now is not to coach a style, with or without the ball, but try to give the players what they need in terms of mentality,” he said. “My style is to trust the confidence of the players. During the week, they play better because they are clean in their heads, but in the game it is different. My work must be to get them to show what they are doing during the week in a game.”
De Zerbi agreed the stress and fear of relegation could be the factor consuming the Spurs squad. He has no time to lose getting his message across.
Romero’s Injury Concern
De Zerbi must also wait to see how long he is without Romero. His downcast departure wiping away tears was yet another twist in this harrowing season.
Romero appeared to have a knee injury. De Zerbi said “we have to see in the next few days”, adding: “I hope that it is not too important a problem. He’s a crucial player for us. He’s a good guy and a good player with a big personality. We need him to finish the season.”
Former England goalkeeper Ben Foster questioned whether Romero’s downcast manner as he left the pitch sent the right message to a Spurs team already a goal down after Nordi Mukiele’s shot deflected past keeper Antonin Kinsky off Micky van de Ven on the hour.
Whatever the prognosis, it was a moment of misfortune. It is the sort of misfortune that is often the fate of a team, and indeed a club, in crisis.