Tottenham Hotspur fell to defeat once again as Roberto De Zerbi took to the dugout for the first time against Sunderland on Sunday.
The Italian arrived at the club over the international break, tasked with guiding Spurs to safety after a dismal season in North London.
Though his first competitive week in charge could not have gone much worse, with the Lilywhites dropping into the relegation zone on Friday, and staying there with a 1-0 loss at the Stadium of Light.
Spurs now have six Premier League matches remaining to secure their future, with Brighton’s visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next up.
Looking back on the defeat at the Stadium of Light, former boss Tim Sherwood launched a scathing attack on defensive duo Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven.
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Tim Sherwood points out “irresponsible” Tottenham problem
After making the trip to the North East, there was not too much to separate Sunderland and Spurs for large parts of Sunday’s clash.
However, the visitors remained toothless in the final third, while they had little to no control over the encounter despite De Zerbi’s arrival.
Speaking live on Sky Sports News on Monday morning, Sherwood questioned the mentality of the group, particularly that of the centre-back partnership.
“These centre halves that they’ve got, very good centre halves who are possibly looking to get away from the club at the end of the season,” said Sherwood.
“Romero there crying as he is coming off the pitch – irresponsible, you couldn’t trust him as far as you could throw him,” he added. “The captain of the club, throwing the club under the bus time and time again this season.
“Then you have Van de Ven, who, for me, has got all the attributes to be a top drawer player, but plays for himself. You need characters,” added the former boss.
Adding to his point, Sherwood mentioned one of Tottenham’s rivals for comparison.
“Look at West Ham”, he said. “A team that are putting some results together, Disasi and Mavropanos are like two rocks at the back. They are putting their head on everything, putting their bodies on the line.
“I still believe that they can do it,” he added on Spurs. “I don’t know what gives me that belief.”
Mentality issues far from uncommon at Tottenham
The issues within the squad are hardly a new thing at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
For years, Spurs as a club have failed to progress on the pitch, while players have come and gone. With the current scenario in mind, those capable of getting moves away will absolutely get them over the summer, irrespective of what the result of the campaign is.
With Romero on the pitch, Spurs’ xG against stat sits at 28.37, compared to the 39.42 of van de Ven – sitting in the eighth percentile across the entirety of the Premier League.
At the same time, the aforementioned Disasi has racked up a stat of 9.6 since his move to West Ham.
It also goes without saying that Romero’s consistent discipline issues are a huge problem for Tottenham, who have seen their captain sent off twice in the league this term, while he has been booked nine times.
For a large part of the current squad, relegation would have little to no impact. The simple fact of the matter is that they will get their moves.
The lack of accountability is exactly what has led the Lilywhites to this current predicament, with certain players who have played a huge part in their current form being the ones who will be rewarded with a move away over the summer.
Should Tottenham drop down, it will be others left to pick up the pieces, not the ones who deem themselves fit to play at the highest level.
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