Tottenham captain Cristian Romero will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.
The defender was substituted in tears during Sunday’s 1-0 defeat to Sunderland after colliding with Spurs goalkeeper Antonin Kinski while protecting the ball from Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey.
Romero’s season at club level is over, although reports that the Argentina international will return in time for the World Cup are not believed to be completely accurate.
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Free to watch: Premier League highlights of Sunderland vs. Tottenham Hotspur
Romero’s injury was another monumental blow for Spurs, who are on the brink of relegation. Spurs are in the bottom three with six games left in the league, two points clear of safety.
This is another injury problem for new Spurs manager Roberto de Zerbi, who told reporters on Friday that he expected to rely on Mohamed Kudus only if the forward suffered another quad injury.
After the loss at the Stadium of Light, they called Romero an “important player,” but they will now be forced to play without Romero.
Asked about Romero’s injury on Sunday, he said: “He’s an important player for us so I hope it won’t be too big of a problem.”
“He’s a good guy, a good player, a top player, a great personality and we need him to finish this season and achieve our goals.”
Spurs captain Romero decides to sit out the rest of the season
Austrian international Kevin Danso replaced Romero in the game against Sunderland and is believed to be the favorite to replace Romero for the rest of the season.
Romero now faces a race to be fit for this summer’s World Cup with Argentina looking to defend their titles in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Argentina’s opening game of the tournament is June 17th.
Should Blobby have been punished for the push that led to Romero’s injury?
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Ref Watch looks at the two big decisions made during Sunderland’s 1-0 home win over Spurs. This includes why the penalty decision was overturned and why Brian Brobbey, who pushed Romero, avoided a second yellow.
Romero’s season-ending injury was the result of a push on Blobby, who had already been given a yellow card, raising questions about whether the striker should have been sent off.
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher told Sky Sports News’ Ref Watch: “We have to be careful not to let the injury result fool us.”
“If the goalkeeper isn’t there, are you going to poke him a little bit and get him sent off for a second yellow card? The answer is definitely no.
“The goalie came out and there was a collision. It changes everyone’s perspective, but it wasn’t a serious foul.”
Former Cardiff striker Jay Bothroyd added: “Romero isn’t in control of the ball and he’s trying to stop Blobby from getting the ball. At one point Blobby gets so close to Romero that he can’t see the ball.”
“We kind of pushed him to one side to see that. It’s the kind of thing that happens because a defender is trying to protect the ball.”
Are Tottenham destined for relegation?
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Tim Sherwood warns Tottenham ‘need character’ to avoid relegation
Many of Tottenham’s biggest problems were self-diagnosed during Roberto De Zerbi’s first game as manager. Spurs had fallen to the bottom three before the trip to Sunderland and their performance in the defeat did nothing to strengthen the belief that they could climb out of there.
Appointing De Zerbi as one of the highest-paid head coaches in the division during an already disastrous season was a high-stakes gamble. Some might argue that it would have been even riskier to keep Igor Tudor.
But whoever takes over as manager – De Zerbi is Spurs’ fourth in the past 12 months – the same issues are likely to remain.
Sky Sports’ Laura Hunter analyzes De Zerbi’s first game as manager.
Kara: Spurs seem to be in decline.
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Jamie Carragher believes Tottenham are headed for relegation
Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports:
Carragher said: “It’s unbelievable. Tottenham look like they’re going to lose.” “Other teams (in danger of being relegated) also have something.
“If you look at the result, you would think it was a good game for Tottenham, but it was a terrible game. Tottenham are a good game for them.
“Wolves are bottom of the league. Do you think Tottenham are going to go there and win? They have no chance.”
tottenham remaining games
Saturday, April 18th 5pm
5:30pm kickoff
Saturday: Brighton (H) – Premier League, 5.30pm kick-off, live on Sky Sports
April 25: Wolves (A) – Premier League, 3pm kick-off
May 2: Aston Villa (A) – Premier League, 12.30pm kick-off
May 11: Leeds (H) – Premier League, 8pm kick-off, live on Sky Sports
May 17: Chelsea (A) – Premier League
May 24: Everton (H) – Premier League
