Roberto De Zerbi has serious questions to answer if he wants to save Tottenham Hotspur from relegation after a lacklustre debut in charge.
The north London side fell to yet another defeat on Sunday, a 1-0 loss to Sunderland, which left them in the Premier League’s bottom three with six games remaining.
Despite attempting more shots on target (seven to two), Spurs never looked like the better team at the Stadium of Light and barely threatened Robin Roefs in goal, accumulating just 0.84 expected goals.
It was another game to forget for Dominic Solanke, who wasted several good opportunities and left the field without a goal for the seventh time in his last eight league appearances.
De Zerbi Must Drop Dominic Solanke
Solanke was the subject of heavy criticism following Sunday’s loss, in which he missed a chance to impress De Zerbi in his first game in charge.
The England international wasted several chances as Spurs searched for a goal and once again looked a long way from the player Tottenham hoped they were signing when they paid a club-record £65m in the summer of 2024.
Solanke’s display drew strong reaction from both fans and experts, with talkSPORT pundit Jamie O’Hara giving the striker a 0/10 rating, and it will likely give De Zerbi something to think about ahead of the next game.
The Italian may be better off turning to Richarlison, who started Sunday'scontest on the left wing, with the Brazilian looking like the only Spurs forward capable of scoring goals this season.
Despite only making 16 starts, Richarlison, who Alasdair Gold praised as a ‘fighter’, remains Tottenham’s top scorer in the Premier League with nine goals, including two in his last five top-flight appearances.
Cristian Romero’s Season is Over
If Spurs’ attacking woes were not enough, De Zerbi also suffered a significant injury blow against Sunderland, with Cristian Romero ruled out for the rest of the season.
The Argentine is expected to miss around six to eight weeks due to a knee injury and could end up missing the World Cup as well.
Kevin Danso is expected to step up in the absence of the Spurs captain, who may have already played his last game for the north London side.