As the tears rolled down Cristian Romero’s face, the futility of Tottenham Hotspur‘s relegation fight set in. How many punches can one take before throwing in the towel?
Romero was consoled by almost all of his team-mates while walking off the pitch at the Stadium of Light, with Micky van de Ven even giving him a small kiss on the back of his head. The cruelty of the moment was horribly laid bare, for both the captain and his club.
The talismanic centre-back will miss the rest of the campaign after an innocuous collision with goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky. Brian Brobbey had cynically pushed Romero in the back as he looked to shield the ball, and the resulting contact ended in a partial ligament tear.
Now, just like his hopes of making Argentina’s World Cup squad this summer, Spurs’ bid to stay in the Premier League is precariously hanging in the balance.
Tottenham will have to make do without Romero, but in the wake of his absence, a sense of inevitability has taken hold. It falls to Roberto De Zerbi to shift it – and soon.
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Tottenham will sorely miss Cristian Romero
The odds look to be firmly stacked against Spurs, who must be careful that they don’t just slip under the waves with six top-flight matches remaining. Leeds United pulling six points clear after beating Manchester United hardly helped matters.
While there were some promising indications that De Zerbi could yet rescue this sinking ship, the result on Wearside was wearyingly familiar. It was another confidence-shattering blow, one which punctured any buoyancy after the Italian was appointed as head coach.
His first objective is to instil some renewed belief into his squad, but an unblinking reality is staring him in the face. Spurs have not won a Premier League match since December, and are sleepwalking toward relegation. They are now more likely to go down than stay up.
That might have been the case even with Romero fit, but with him missing, their chances of survival are even slimmer. He has proven himself as the only player in the squad capable of conjuring up magic out of nothing, with his sheer determination enough to secure points.
Romero is a born winner, even if Tottenham’s results haven’t matched that for a while now. Yes, he has too often strayed over the line, picking up needless bookings, but when it comes to deciding matches, he is head and shoulders above his team-mates.
That, more than anything, will keep De Zerbi up at night.
Before being forced off, Romero was outstanding at Sunderland. According to FotMob, he took 47 touches, completed 91 per cent of his passes and created one chance.
Defensively, the Argentine made three tackles, four clearances, two interceptions and three recoveries. A man mountain, he also won five of his eight duels on the ground and all three aerially, with a 62 per cent and 100 per cent success rate, respectively, in those categories.
Across the course of the campaign, Romero has averaged 2.79 tackles, 1.44 interceptions and 4.23 ball recoveries per 90 minutes, while his return of six goals and four assists in 31 matches across all competitions is a deeply impressive return for a central defender.
It is obvious, then, that Spurs will be much worse off without him.
Roberto De Zerbi was relying on Romero
De Zerbi will have to find another way of rallying the troops. The identity of his next dressing room lieutenant is unclear, but someone, somewhere, has no choice but to step up. He will have sizeable shoes to fill, with Romero arguably a dream player for the Italian tactician.
The two share a similar ambition: football played on the front foot and a relentless desire to win. It is telling that both spoke highly of the other during their recent media appearances. De Zerbi said Romero was “crucial” and “maybe the most important player in our squad”.
Their similarity stretches into the shakier territory, too. Both have been accused of being too hot-headed. Romero, who has been brandished two red cards and 11 yellows this season, has certainly strayed beyond the line, missing seven games through various suspensions.
He has also not done himself any favours by openly courting interest from abroad. His interest in sealing a move to Spain at the end of the season is all too clear, and he may well get his wish. Atletico Madrid are keen, and that signing makes perfect sense.
His knee injury means that supporters will no longer be able to watch Romero in action under De Zerbi again this season, or indeed, ever again for Tottenham.
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