Roberto De Zerbi has leapt to the defence of Kevin Danso after a difficult moment against Brighton, making his stance clear as Tottenham Hotspur continue their fight for survival.
The Premier League table could have looked very different for Tottenham Hotspur had they seen out their 2-1 lead against Brighton and Hove Albion last weekend.
It was a much-improved performance from Spurs, arguably their best this year, as they looked sharper in attack and solid defensively, restricting Brighton to an xG of 0.82.
However, a lapse in concentration from Kevin Danso gave Brighton a late opportunity to pull the game back, and they took their chance when Georginio Rutter struck late.
Tottenham Kevin Danso backed by Roberto De Zerbi after incident
That draw did Tottenham little good as they remained in the bottom three of the Premier League table with five games to play.
Spurs now remain two points adrift of safety, but there is hope they can leave the drop zone this week if they beat Wolves and West Ham United fail to beat Everton.
Unfortunately, Danso’s mistake from last weekend led to racist abuse from a small number of individuals. There is no room for racism in football or at Spurs, and De Zerbi made that stance clear in his latest press conference, telling football.london: “I was very annoyed by the racist insults towards Kevin, but he has to be calm and I am proud of him.
“He played a fantastic game. Not a good game but a fantastic game. I do not consider one mistake. He will be here next season because he is a good guy, a very good player and every one of us is lucky to work with him.”
Spurs rely on Kevin Danso as defensive injuries continue
Danso has been a reliable performer for Tottenham, often delivering consistent displays whenever he is called upon at the back.
In the game against Brighton, it was more of the same from the Austrian, whose underlying numbers remained solid:
| Metric | Stat |
|---|---|
| Touches | 51 |
| Accurate passes | 29/33 (88%) |
| Defensive contributions | 12 |
| Successful dribbles | 1/1 (100%) |
| Passes into final third | 3 |
| Accurate long balls | 1/2 (50%) |
| Clearances | 9 |
| Headed clearances | 6 |
| Interceptions | 2 |
| Recoveries | 1 |
Spurs will have to continue to rely on Danso as Cristian Romero remains sidelined for the rest of the season, and the least supporters can do is get behind the Tottenham centre-back.