Has Cristian Romero played his last game for Tottenham Hotspur? There are many uncertainties engulfing Spurs at present, which won't even begin to find a resolution until they know which tier of English football they will play in next season.
The prospect of Tottenham's relegation from the Premier League is both unimaginable and becoming ever more real with each passing week. Conceding a 95th-minute equalizer to draw 2-2 with Brighton & Hove Albion was another devastating blow in a dismal season that, combined with results elsewhere, leaves them two points adrift of safety with five games left.
New coach Roberto De Zerbi, presumably both encouraged by what he had seen and recognizing the need to lift a palpably fragile group, defiantly declared afterward that Spurs could not only stay up but win all five remaining games to do so emphatically.
- Spurs find silver lining vs. Brighton, but not a desperately needed win - How bad analytics built a Tottenham team that is heading for relegation - Soccer's incredible shrinking shin guards could be a dangerous problem
The run-in will demand everything from a beleaguered squad, but their captain will play no part. Romero sustained a season-ending knee injury in their 1-0 defeat at Sunderland on April 12, leaving the field in tears. Those tears may have been more for Argentina than for Spurs, given the FIFA World Cup is less than two months away and his participation is in doubt.
Tottenham supporters have become accustomed to Romero not being in the team, given the number of suspensions he has picked up during his five years at the club. Whatever the outcome of Spurs' battle against the drop without him, some fans may see it as the right time for the club and captain to go their separate ways.
So how did it come to this, and what does the future hold for Romero?
Part of the group?
De Zerbi attempted to foster a real spirit of togetherness in the buildup to facing Brighton. He effectively canceled a planned fan gathering to greet the team bus outside the stadium by insisting the players arrived earlier than usual.
Sources have told ESPN that it would have been considered a significant risk had midfielder James Maddison played any minutes against Brighton, but he was nevertheless named in the squad for the first time in 362 days following his anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained last August.
Maddison's personality and leadership skills are valued by De Zerbi, and he was an animated presence throughout the game, while injured goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario was also stationed just behind the substitutes. Rodrigo Bentancur played his first game since Jan. 7 and, when substituted on 67 minutes, he stayed in the dugout and regularly stood up shouting encouragement, just like others including Yves Bissouma.