Tottenham have been woeful defensively this season.
Tottenham Hotspur fell to Premier League defeat once again on Sunday, with Sunderland beating them 1-0 at the Stadium of Light in Roberto De Zerbi’s first game in charge.
Handed the task of steering Spurs to safety, Roberto De Zerbi has inherited a squad blighted by injuries and extremely low on confidence. And it was further evident at the Stadium of Light when Sunderland scored via a deflected effort from Nordi Mukiele, and the Tottenham players’ shoulders dropped. They never recovered after conceding first and suffered the 16th league defeat of the campaign.
The Italian boss’ task became much more difficult before Tottenham took to the pitch too, with West Ham’s 4-0 win over Wolves on Friday pushing the Lilywhites into the relegation zone for the first time this season.
Tim Sherwood criticises Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven after Sunderland loss
De Zerbi now has six Premier League matches remaining to secure the club’s future, with Brighton paying a visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next. Looking back on the defeat at Sunderland, Sky Sports pundit Tim Sherwood launched a scathing attack on Tottenham’s defensive duo Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven (combined worth €115m), questioning their attitude and mentality.
“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,” Tim Sherwood said on Sky Sports News.
“Romero there crying as he is coming off the pitch – irresponsible, you couldn’t trust him as far as you could throw him. 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.”
Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven have lacked leadership
Romero and Van de Ven’s form have been indifferent since the start of 2026. The duo have struggled to marshal the backline and step up their games when the chips have been down. When Romero was suspended, Van de Ven had opportunities to show he is a capable leader. However, the Dutchman couldn’t exert his authority and help his side keep clean sheets during that period.
It also goes to demonstrate further that Romero’s persistent ill-discipline are a massive problem for the North Londoners. Due to the Argentina international’s two red cards, the team has suffered and dropped crucial points. Now that the Spurs skipper has been ruled out for the rest of the season following a knee injury sustained against Sunderland, the onus of leading the troops in defence will fall on Van de Ven for the remaining six games.
It remains to be seen how Van de Ven and Co. cope with Romero’s loss and fight for survival in the Premier League.