Tottenham Hotspur's captain, Cristian Romero, will be sidelined for the remainder of the season due to a knee injury. The Argentine defender was substituted out of Sunday's match against Sunderland in tears after a collision with his own goalkeeper, Antonin Kinsky, while attempting to defend against Sunderland's Brian Brobbey.
Reports suggesting Romero will recover in time for the World Cup are not entirely accurate, but his club season is now over. Romero's absence is a significant blow to relegation-threatened Spurs, who are currently in the bottom three and two points from safety with only six league games left to play. This injury adds to the list of problems for new manager Roberto De Zerbi, who had previously expressed his reliance on Mohammed Kudus before the player suffered a quad injury.
De Zerbi had labeled Romero a 'crucial player' after the loss to Sunderland, stating, 'He's a good guy, good player, top player, big personality, and we need him to finish this season and achieve our goal.' Kevin Danso is expected to replace Romero for the remainder of the season, having come on as a substitute for him during the Sunderland match. Romero now faces a challenge to be fit in time for Argentina's World Cup title defense this summer, with their first game scheduled for June 17. The injury occurred when Brobbey, who was already on a yellow card, pushed Romero, leading to questions about whether the striker should have been sent off.
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher commented, 'We have to be careful not to get seduced by the outcome - the injury. If the goalkeeper's not there, a little nudge, are you going to send him off for a second yellow card? The answer is most certainly no.' Ex-Cardiff striker Jay Bothroyd added, 'Romero is not in control of the ball and is trying to block Brobbey from getting it. At some point, Brobbey can't see the ball anymore because he's so close to Romero.
It's almost like he's pushed him to one side to see it. That's the kind of incident that comes because defenders are trying to shield the ball.' Tottenham's issues were evident in their first game under De Zerbi, with the team struggling to climb out of the bottom three.
Despite De Zerbi being one of the highest-paid head coaches in the division, Spurs' problems persist, and their chances of avoiding relegation look slim. Sky Sports' Laura Hunter analyzed De Zerbi's first game in charge, while Jamie Carragher expressed his belief that Tottenham will be relegated, stating, 'I can't believe it. Tottenham look like they're going to go down.
The other teams have something going for them. You look at fixtures, you think that's a good game for Tottenham. But they're awful. Tottenham's a good game for them.'