Tottenham are well and truly fighting the odds to secure their Premier League status after their 1-0 defeat to Sunderland.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side looked good in the opening exchanges but deservedly came up short at the Stadium of Light after an underwhelming display that lacked fight and character.
To make matters worse, Leeds United and West Ham secured wins, while Nottingham Forest’s 1-1 draw against Aston Villa took them three points clear of the drop.
The North London outfit have six games to avoid relegation and need some of their big players to step up.
And Tim Sherwood feels Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero let them down against Sunderland as he delivered a grim verdict on the Tottenham duo.
Sherwood savages Van de Ven and Romero
Romero is unlikely to play for Tottenham this season after suffering a knee injury during the game against Sunderland.
Micky van de Ven has been linked with a Tottenham departure this summer and has looked like a shadow of his former self.
De Zerbi’s senior players will need to take more initiative in the coming weeks, but Sherwood feels Tottenham’s senior defensive pair have really let themselves down in recent weeks.
“Romero was crying when he was coming off the pitch,” began Sherwood on Sky Sports.
“Irresponsible, couldn’t trust him as far as you could throw him, captain of the club and he’s thrown the club under the bus time and time again this season.
“Micky van de Ven has got all the attributes to be a top, top player but he’s playing for himself. You need characters in this situation.”
Why is Romero’s reaction such a problem?
One of the strangest things to happen after the defeat to Sunderland is the reaction to Romero’s injury.
The Argentine defender left the pitch in tears after injuring his knee as fears emerged that he might miss Tottenham’s run-in, putting his 2026 FIFA World Cup hopes in doubt.
Those fears were later confirmed, but that didn’t stop pundits from passing judgments on his reaction.
Ben Foster criticised Romero for crying as he went off the pitch, suggesting that he sets a terrible example.
And now, Sherwood has appeared to do the same, which honestly is a tad ridiculous. Constructive criticism when it comes to performances is obviously okay, but neither Sherwood nor Foster should have anything to say about how a player should react to a potential injury.
This especially holds for someone like Romero, who wears his heart on his sleeve. Get well soon, Cuti!
