Yardbarker
x

Cristian Romero was captured celebrating passionately to Mathys Tel’s screamer against Leeds United at home.

Tottenham Hotspur need just one point from their two remaining games to clinch survival in the Premier League, given their superior goal difference compared to relegation rivals West Ham. Two points would make them mathematically safe, but a point against Chelsea on Tuesday night would leave them three clear of the Hammers with a game to play.

Given how bad the situation was before Roberto De Zerbi walked in, Spurs’ fate is firmly now in their hands. Roberto De Zerbi has overseen two wins, two draws and a defeat in his five games in charge of the club thus far. His previous game ended in a 1-1 draw with Leeds United at home, where Mathys Tel went from hero to villain inside 20 minutes.

Tel scored a screamer to give his side the lead in the 49th minute against Leeds United. However, 20 minutes later, he gave away a penalty when trying to clear the ball with an acrobatic overhead kick, but caught Ethan Ampadu on the head in the box. Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored the resultant penalty and helped the Whites clinch a point.

Roberto De Zerbi opens up on Cristian Romero celebrating Mathys Tel’s worldie vs. Leeds United

When Tel produced a moment of magic against Leeds, several Tottenham players and staff members ran onto the touchline and celebrated the goal. One of them was Cristian Romero. The Tottenham skipper, wearing a white hoodie, jumped off his seat and pushed a member of the Tottenham coaching staff down as he celebrated with the rest of the squad.

When asked about Cristian Romero’s crazy celebration for Tel’s screamer, Roberto De Zerbi responded in his pre-match press conference (h/t Football London):

“Cristian Romero is a big player, you know he is a big player, but he is an amazing guy because he has been a great captain in my time, even though he didn’t play. We are talking by phone, and when he stays here, every morning he came in my office and he was inside of the season.”

https://twitter.com/SpursArmyTweets/status/2054183011038421360?s=20

Cristian Romero remains an important figure off the pitch

Romero is currently nursing a knee injury and has been ruled out for the rest of the campaign. The Spurs star suffered a knee injury in the 1-0 defeat at Sunderland after he was pushed onto goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky by Brian Brobbey. He hasn’t featured for Tottenham since, but has luckily avoided surgery, in a big boost to his hopes of featuring at the World Cup next month.

Although the Argentina international has been unable to contribute to the Premier League relegation battle directly for weeks now, he still continues to play an important role off the field. Romero has managed to motivate his teammates off the pitch, and going by De Zerbi’s latest remarks, the defender, who continues to be linked with an exit from N17, has busted the notion that he doesn’t care about the club’s plight.

To stay close to the club and his Tottenham teammates, the 27-year-old has decided to remain in England and continue his rehab on a knee injury. He could have been selfish and gone back to his homeland and during his injury recovery for the World Cup; instead, the South American star stayed back to motivate the rest of the squad in the relegation battle.

And the Argentina Football Association have also done their bit by sending a kinesiologist to England to work with Romero and help him regain full fitness before the World Cup commences.

This article first appeared on To The Lane And Back and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA.