tottenham hotspur captain cristian romero Became the subject of harsh criticism from Brazilian journalist Fred Caldera after the club's Champions League match against Atlético Madrid.
However, the reporter later admitted that he had misjudged the situation.
Caldera, who covers European football tnt sports brazilRomero was initially criticized for not talking to the press after the game.
From his position in the mixed zone, the journalist believed that the Argentina international had avoided media duties despite wearing the captain's armband.
Speaking immediately after the match, Caldera argued that the Tottenham captain should have faced the journalists, especially during a difficult moment for the team.
"Romero doesn't deserve to wear the captain's armband at Tottenham," He said. "It's very easy to be brave when things are going well. Cristian Romero should have given an interview today. It was his responsibility as captain."
The journalist also compared Romero's absence to the behavior of other leaders in English football.
"When you see Virgil van Dijk speaking at Liverpool, or players who have faced the media during difficult years at Manchester United, you value it." He added.
At the time, Caldera believed that Romero had simply decided not to appear in the mixed zone. According to him, the only Tottenham players he saw give interviews were Archie Gray, Jade Spence and Kevin Densow.
He went further in his criticism and claimed that the defender was far from helping the club during difficult times.
"He's not the main culprit for what's happening, but he's also not the guy who's helping. At the very least he should be confronting the situation, and he's not doing that."
The journalist later clarified the situation
However, a few hours later, Caldera publicly corrected my assessment.
Posting on social media, the reporter admitted that Cristian Romero had suffered an unfair decision after a head collision with Joao Palinha during the match.
"I wronged Romero," Caldera wrote. "I had to leave the pitch a few minutes before the final whistle to be in time for the post-match interview, so I didn't see the one-on-one confrontation between Romero and Palinha. Obviously he was in no condition to give an interview."
The clarification significantly changed the context of Romero's absence from the media arena, suggesting that the defender's failure to speak was for medical reasons rather than a decision to avoid questions.
A blunt assessment of the situation at Tottenham
Caldera also extended his criticism to the wider situation at Tottenham and the decisions surrounding manager Igor Tudor. Goalkeeper Antonin Kinski.
Commenting on the consequences of the heavy defeat, a Brazilian reporter said that Tudor should have already lost his job after the match. In his view, the Croatian manager should have been sacked "before the plane landed in London".
Caldera then made an even harsher assessment of the club's current level.
"Since I came to England – it will be ten years in September – I have never seen a Big Six team like this," He said. "This version of Tottenham is the worst Big Six team I've seen."
He compared the situation to the difficult moments experienced by Manchester United in recent years, but argued that Tottenham's problems currently run even deeper.
"I know Manchester United also had very bad moments, but it's a wandering soul. Tottenham is a living dead team."
Caldera told the South American audience that the situation has become so worrying that relegation from the Premier League is a real threat.
"If I'm a West Ham player – the first club in the relegation zone, just one point behind Tottenham with nine rounds remaining – I'll be rubbing my hands together and sharpening the knives, because there's still a direct match to come."
Caldera also claimed that many teams outside the traditional elite are currently playing better football than Spurs.
"It's hard to find anyone who plays worse than Tottenham. In the Premier League, no one. Even Wolverhampton plays better than Tottenham at the moment."
For the journalist, this is difficult to reconcile with the financial strength of the club.
"It's very serious what's happening. I can't believe I'm saying this about a club with the ninth-highest revenue in the world that is likely to be relegated."
