Tottenham Coach Defends Red Card, Praises Player's Reaction
Listen to the story
Tottenham Hotspur head coach Roberto De Zerbi has defended the red card shown to his player Rodrigo Bentancur during a Premier League match against Manchester United.
The match ended in a 1-1 draw. Bentancur was sent off during the game, which meant Tottenham had to play with one fewer player.
De Zerbi said the referee's decision to send Bentancur off was correct. However, he also spoke positively about his player's behaviour.
The coach explained that he liked seeing Bentancur show a strong reaction on the pitch. He said this kind of attitude was something he wanted to see more often from his team.
'Tottenham needs this reaction,' De Zerbi said, suggesting that passion and fight are important qualities for his squad.
Even though the red card hurt Tottenham's chances in the match, De Zerbi seemed to focus on the positive side of his player's attitude.
He appeared to believe that showing strong emotion and fighting spirit matters more in the long run than a single mistake that led to a red card.
The comments came after the full-time whistle, as De Zerbi discussed the match with journalists.
Tottenham will now look ahead to their next Premier League fixture, hoping to build on the attitude De Zerbi praised, while avoiding further red cards.
Bentancur is likely to serve a suspension for the next few matches as a result of the red card.
Vocabulary10 words
- red card
- a card a referee shows; it means a player must leave the game
- draw
- a game that ends with the same score for both teams
- referee
- the official who controls a football match
- reaction
- how someone responds to something
- squad
- all the players in a team
- fixture
- a planned sports match
- suspension
- a punishment that stops someone from playing for a while
- head coach
- the main person who leads a sports team
- attitude
- the way a person thinks or behaves
- decision
- an official choice made by someone in charge
📚 Ready to use these words in a real conversation?
Practice live with a real tutor on Preply.
Quiz
Answer key
1. A 1-1 draw 2. He said it was correct 3. True
✅ Nice work on the quiz!
Keep the momentum going — book a live English lesson with a Preply tutor.
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Tottenham Hotspur head coach Roberto De Zerbi has defended the _____ shown to his player Rodrigo Bentancur.
The match ended in a 1-1 _____.
Bentancur was sent off during the game, which meant Tottenham had to play with one fewer _____.
De Zerbi said the referee's decision to send Bentancur off was _____.
The coach explained that he liked seeing Bentancur show a strong _____ on the pitch.
He said this kind of attitude was something he wanted to see more often from his _____.
'Tottenham needs this reaction,' De Zerbi said, suggesting that passion and fight are important qualities for his squad.
Tottenham will now look ahead to their next Premier League _____.
Bentancur is likely to serve a _____ for the next few matches.
He appeared to believe that showing strong emotion matters more than a single _____.
Discussion questions
- Do you think coaches should defend decisions that hurt their own team? Why or why not?
- Why might a coach value a player's 'reaction' even if it leads to a red card?
- Have you ever seen a football match affected by a red card? What happened?
- Do you agree that passion and fighting spirit are important in team sports?
🎓 Enjoyed this story?
Turn today's reading into real speaking practice with a live Preply tutor.
More Sports stories
Next story · Medium
New Documentary Series Tells Story of Coach Nick Saban