Alasdair Gold criticised Roberto De Zerbi‘s decision to play Richarlison on the left in Tottenham Hotspur‘s 1-0 defeat against Sunderland on Sunday.
Spurs’ defeat at Sunderland compounded by Romero injury blow
Tim Sherwood was very critical of Cristian Romero in the wake of the loss at the Stadium of Light, and it has now been confirmed the centre-back will be sidelined for the remainder of the campaign, in a fresh blow for the new manager.
Kevin Danso is the logical replacement for the Argentinian, at the heart of a defence that has often struggled this season, shipping 51 Premier League goals, and that is not the only problem position, with their midfield and forward line also being criticised.
Carragher suggests Spurs’ midfield could get them relegated
Indeed, Jamie Carragher called Lucas Bergvall, Conor Gallagher and Archie Gray into question after the defeat at the Stadium of Light, and suggested Spurs could be destined for relegation if De Zerbi doesn’t sort his midfield out very soon.
Lucas Bergvall’s stats against Sunderland
- 19 touches
- 0 shots
- 0 duels won
- 7 passes completed
- 1 clearance
The logical choice to replace Bergvall would be Xavi Simons, but the 22-year-old has now been dropped by Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor, and was only brought on with five minutes remaining against Sunderland, suggesting he hasn’t impressed De Zerbi in training.
De Zerbi’s Richarlison decision baffles Alasdair Gold
With Dominic Solanke out injured earlier in the campaign, Richarlison was leading the line for Spurs, and the Brazilian is having a decent season on a personal level, having scored nine Premier League goals.
However, the former Everton man was unable to make an impact against Everton, after being given the nod at left-wing, and Gold has criticised De Zerbi’s decision to play him out wide, saying: “I get why he would’ve wanted to get Richarlison into the line-up, because he’s a battler and I get that. But I just can’t have Richarlison on the left.
“I think occasionally it works, but my goodness it was so shown up at the Stadium of Light. He can’t really beat a man, and if he can, he then hasn’t got the pace to keep getting away from him. I felt sorry for him in a way, but more so for the team, because every time they went on a decent move or attack, it kind of died at Richarlison’s feet.
“Either he made a poor decision with his pass or he hit, he kind of kept getting in his mind ‘I’m gonna hit this really early’, and he kept hitting these really tame awful shots.”
Alasdair Gold: One thing De Zerbi has already done at Tottenham causing bewilderment
Tottenham Hotspur fell to a 1-0 defeat at the Stadium of Light on Sunday.