Roberto De Zerbi shares his thoughts on Cristian Romero missing Tottenham’s last game of the season.
Roberto De Zerbi recently talked about Ben Davies’ actions after being asked about Cristian Romero’s choice to miss Tottenham’s final game against Everton, which could decide if they get relegated.
Romero, who is currently sidelined with a knee injury, will be in Argentina on Sunday to watch the final of the Argentine Championship between his old club Belgrano and River Plate.
Romero, 28, came up through Belgrano’s academy and made his pro debut there in 2016, so the game means a lot to him. But many Tottenham fans are upset because they think the club captain should be at their most important match of the season.
Tottenham have never been relegated in the 34 years of the Premier League, but they could still go down on the last day as they sit just two points ahead of West Ham, who are third from bottom.
At his press conference before Sunday’s game against Everton, De Zerbi was asked if he understood fans’ anger. He said, “100%, I get it. Romero talked with the medical team and they decided together that he should go to Argentina to continue his rehab with their medical staff.
“I’m not stupid. If a player thinks about himself before the club, that’s not okay with me. But Romero has been honest with me from day one. This decision was made with the medical staff, so whether he’s at the stadium or not doesn’t change anything.
“I don’t want to waste energy on this. We need to focus on the game, and we have good players to reach our goals.”
De Zerbi also spoke about Ben Davies, who has been out since January with a bad fractured ankle from a loss against West Ham.
“Not every leader is the same,” the Italian said. “Ben Davies talked to me and asked to stay with the team in the hotel. He wants to be with his teammates, but Romero is getting ready for the World Cup while injured.”
This week, South American football expert Tim Vickery helped explain Romero’s decision.
“Belgrano is Romero’s club, where he started, and he’s a fan,” Vickery told talkSPORT. “Belgrano have never won the Argentine Championship, and now they’re going against River Plate, who have won it the most times. This makes the game historic.”
He added, “15 years ago, these two teams met in the play-off that caused River Plate to be relegated. If Tottenham going down is huge, River Plate going down is even bigger.”