Cristian Romero injury blow adds to helpless feeling of Tottenham relegation fight | OneFootball

Everything going wrong as nightmare Spurs spiral continues

But what transpired was the sort of hapless performance that has become all too common this season as Sunderland dominated, but did not need to shift out of second gear to win.

Spurs endured another long afternoon at the Stadium of Light

Getty Images

Spurs’ third manager of the season is quickly learning how fast things can unravel at a club sliding towards the Championship.

De Zerbi has already lost Mohammed Kudus to injury, a player he had placed at the centre of his survival plans, while Cristian Romero’s tearful exit at Sunderland is another huge concern.

Time will tell how serious Romero’s injury is, but the innocuous collision that led to his withdrawal at the Stadium of Light felt fated.

Only in this nightmare season of all seasons would Spurs lose their captain to injury following a coming together with his own team-mate.

Igor Tudor and Thomas Frank, who were both left bereft of workarounds for Spurs’ long injury list, can similarly say they were left helpless at points during their tenure.

Cristian Romero’s injury and tearful exit from the pitch are cause for considerable concern

Getty Images

That is not to say either is blameless but for a game that is based as much on emotion and character as it is tactics, there is now a sense of inevitability that is hard to shake.

De Zerbi has admitted as much since taking the reins at Spurs. The fear of relegation is something he says hangs heavy over his players.

“My job is not now to change the style of play. I did two or three things with the ball, two or three things without the ball, but the crucial part is not with the ball or without the ball,” De Zerbi said post-match on Wearside.

Spurs now have six games left to save their season, starting at home to Brighton on Saturday.

Roberto De Zerbi does not have time on his side as Tottenham’s relegation worries grow

Getty Images

In order to get points on the board, de Zerbi says Spurs must “be better as a mentality” and that is the crux of the challenge on his hands.

From now until the end of the season, he is as much a psychologist as a football coach.

Picking his players up, many of whom slumped to the floor at the full-time whistle at Sunderland, and restoring their belief ahead of another crucial game at home to Brighton is the priority.

Emotionally, though, Spurs look spent, and they increasingly seem like a team going down.