Tottenham player ratings vs Sunderland – Cristian Romero shines as Richarlison lets down De Zerbi
Tottenham Hotspur fell to a 1-0 defeat to Sunderland in Roberto De Zerbi's first game in charge on Sunday.
The new manager made five changes from the side that were defeated 3-0 by Nottingham Forest in Igor Tudor's final game as boss.
The likes of Antonin Kinsky, Destiny Udogie, Lucas Bergvall, Conor Gallagher and Randal Kolo Muani came into the side for the Stadium of Light contest on 12 April.
However, Nordi Mukiele's deflected effort in the 61st minute was the only goal of the clash, as Spurs could not find an equaliser.
Tottenham need to turn things around quickly, otherwise they will be relegated to the Championship at the end of the season.
Cristian Romero answers question marks despite Tottenham defeat
Cristian Romero's Tottenham future under De Zerbi has been subject of much debate, with some thinking that the new boss may decide that he is too rash.
However, he was brilliant in the North East, on both sides of the ball.
He had 47 touches in the contest, completed 91 per cent of his pass attempts and created one chance, per Fotmob.
Defensively, he made three tackles, four clearances, two interceptions and three recoveries before he was forced off after 70 minutes with a head injury.
| Romero stats vs Sunderland | |
| Touches | 47 |
| Pass accuracy | 91% |
| Tackles | 3 |
| Clearances | 4 |
| Interceptions | 2 |
| Recoveries | 3 |
| Ground duels won | 5/8(62%) |
| Aerial duels won | 3/3(100%) |
He won five of his eight duels on the ground and all three in the air, for a 62 per cent and 100 per cent success rate in those metrics.
If he faces any kind of time on the sidelines, then De Zerbi will surely be gutted after his display against Regis Le Bris' side.
Richarlison fails to impress De Zerbi as Tottenham lose
Richarlison has been touted as a potential saviour for Tottenham, but he struggled in the clash on Wearside.
The Brazilian forward had three shots but failed to get one in the net, and they were worth an expected goals margin of just 0.12.
He completed just five passes for a 38 per cent success rate, and failed with the only cross that he attempted in the contest.
| Richarlison stats vs Sunderland | |
| Shots (expected goals) | 3(0.12) |
| Pass accuracy | 38% |
| Dribble success | 1/4(25%) |
| Clearances/Recoveries | 4/4 |
| Ground duels won | 2/7(29%) |
The veteran striker recorded just one successful dribble from the four that he tried, for a success rate of just 25 per cent.
While, he did make four clearances and four recoveries defensively, he won just two of seven duels on the ground, for a 29 per cent success rate.
It is safe to say that he did not impress De Zerbi in his first game in charge, in fact, he let him down.
How Tottenham players rated vs Sunderland
Antonin Kinsky - 5
Pedro Porro - 6
Cristian Romero - 7 (off for Danso, 70)
Micky van de Ven - 5
Destiny Udogie - 5
Archie Gray - 5 (off for Palhinha, 62)
Lucas Bergvall - 5 (off for Sarr, 62)
Conor Gallagher - 5 (off for Simons, 85)
Randal Kolo Muani - 5
Dominic Solanke - 5
Richarlison - 4 (off for Tel, 62)
Substitutes:
Joao Palhinha - 5
Pape Sarr - 5
Mathys Tel - 5
Kevin Danso - 6
Xavi Simons -N/A