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In November, I named Cristian Romero as our most important player. I argued that, despite his temperament, he is a player in control.

Following his reckless display against Manchester United on Saturday, I am now questioning my previous appraisal of our captain.

Added to his on-field misdemeanours, Romero has also been very vocal on social media this season, strongly criticising the club.

While many fans have found this refreshing and, in some cases, quite entertaining, is it really the behaviour we require from our captain?

It is much easier to lead when things are going well, but what about when you are on the cusp of a relegation battle?

Now, more than ever, we need a leader we can rely on.

This is not the time for Romero to play by his own rules, no matter how passionate he may be.

Perhaps more concerning than Romero's most recent red card, was Thomas Frank's lack of knowledge on his captain's overall discipline.

Given that Frank was unaware Romero has the most red cards of any player in the period since he joined Spurs, it feels fair to question how informed his decision-making has been in general.

Nevertheless, the Tottenham head coach is adamant Romero will reclaim the armband when he returns from his four-game suspension.

So, for that period, with James Maddison still sidelined through injury, captaincy will be handed over to our other vice-captain, Micky van de Ven.

Will the Dutchman use this as an opportunity to stake his claim for the position on a more permanent basis, or will he happily relinquish the responsibility once Romero returns?

Either way, I just hope someone can bring some much-needed composure to a team that is unravelling.

This is the most played Premier League fixture never to finish goalless, with the 61 meetings producing 196 goals at an average of 3.2 per game.

True to form, December's reverse fixture ended in a dramatic 2-2 draw, with Tottenham twice coming from behind late on to earn a point thanks to Cristian Romero's 95th-minute overhead kick.

Spurs 'desperate to win games'

Just as Romero eased the mounting pressure on head coach Thomas Frank two months ago by preventing a sixth defeat in eight games for Spurs, he has added to it with his recent words and deeds.

At the end of a week in which Romero publicly took aim at the club's hierarchy for the second time in a month, the team captain incurred a red card and four-match ban on Saturday for his forceful challenge on Manchester United midfielder Casemiro.

Frank, who has repeatedly defended Romero, admitted on Monday that players and staff are "desperate to win games" - Spurs and Burnley are the only sides not to do so in the Premier League this calendar year.

Spurs had 10 players out at the weekend, and Destiny Udogie now faces a month out because of the hamstring injury he sustained at Old Trafford. Nonetheless, the team's form - even preceding Frank - makes for damning reading:

Tottenham are on a seven-match winless league run for the third time since the start of last season – they hadn't previously gone that long without a victory since 2008.

They've only managed two wins in 16 top-flight games since the start of November, drawing six and losing eight.

Spurs have won just four of 26 home league fixtures, suffering 15 defeats.

In the 14 months since 16 December 2024, Tottenham have won more matches in Europe (12 of 18) than in the Premier League (11 of 47).

Defiant Howe has problems to fix

Like Spurs, Newcastle are a big club at a crossroads in their season. They've suffered three successive league defeats and only won one of their past nine matches, excluding the FA Cup penalty shootout success against Bournemouth.

In the build-up to this game, head coach Eddie Howe said there's "no doubt" in his mind that he's best-placed to restore Newcastle's fortunes. "If I didn't think I was the correct man to take the team forward, and I couldn't give the players what they need, then I would step aside and let someone else do it."

Newcastle's poor away form – two league wins in 15 attempts on the road – is one of several issues for Howe to fix.

Another was highlighted by Romero's last-gasp equaliser for Spurs in December and also when Brentford scored a late winner at St James' Park on Saturday. It means Newcastle have dropped 19 points from winning positions this season, more than any other Premier League side.

Tottenham captain Cristian Romero let his manager down with his red card against Manchester United, and now he is facing a four-game ban.

It's fine for Romero to be a motor mouth on social media, calling the club's recruitment "disgraceful", but he clearly needs to concentrate on his own game because he has been wild in the challenge again.

For a manager like Thomas Frank, who is under pressure, that is the last thing you need.

Poor old Eddie Howe is feeling the heat at Newcastle too, though. We had callers in to 606 at the weekend saying it is time for a change.

I really don't get that thinking at all, and not just because Howe's the guy who ended their long wait for a trophy, less than a year ago.

His squad is stretched now because of the Champions League and their run to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup, and he also had everything around Alexander Isak's exit to deal with at the start of the season, when it wasn't his doing.

Howe just hasn't been able to replace Isak, either. Yoane Wissa has taken a while to get up and running and Nick Woltemade is very different to Isak in that he likes to come to the ball all the time.

People are saying a change of voice might help, but what about backing the guy who has given you so much happiness? I don't understand why you'd want him out.

This is a very difficult game to predict for various reasons, but we do know Spurs are poor at home and Newcastle aren't great away.

I still think someone will win it, but I am going to sit in the middle anyway, and go for a draw.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Tottenham captain Cristian Romero is a "leader" but must learn to control his aggression after his second sending-off of the season, manager Thomas Frank says.

Romero was shown his latest red card for a tackle on midfielder Casemiro in Saturday's 2-0 loss at Manchester United, meaning he will be suspended for four games.

Speaking at a press conference as Spurs prepare to take on Newcastle United on Tuesday, Frank said he was confident the 27-year-old Argentina centre-back had the right blend of skills to succeed.

"For me, I think he is a leader. He is a young leader. He's learning every day.

"I've said I used the example when I was 30 years old. I thought I was on top of the world, but I was no way near the level I am today in terms of leadership and understanding things.

"And then when you have a player that's playing with so much passion and aggression, things like that can happen.

"That's not to say he shouldn't learn from it, of course he needs learn from it, going forward."

Also missing for the next four to five weeks will be defender Destiny Udogie, with Frank confirming the Italian, 23, has suffered hamstring damage.

His absence adds to Tottenham's injury woes, with only 11 fit senior players available for their game against Manchester City at the start of this month.

Asked whether Dejan Kulusevski, who has been out with a knee injury since May, is likely to play this season, Frank said: "I don't know.

"[He] has got another appointment at the end of this week where we will know more, but of course if he's out of the Champions League squad it's a sign it is not tomorrow [that he will return]."

Following a seven-game winless run in the Premier League, Spurs are 15th in the table, six points above the drop zone.

Asked if he viewed the club as being in a relegation fight, Frank told reporters there was "no doubt we are desperate to win games, desperate".

"Of course, we haven't won enough," he said. "If you are not desperate you do not understand the situation you are in."

Romero 'needs to learn' from red cards

Tottenham v Newcastle (Tue, 19:30 GMT)

Tottenham manager Thomas Frank on the disciplinary record of captain Christian Romero, who picked up his second red card of the season in Saturday's defeat at Manchester United, which means he will miss four games, including the north London derby against Arsenal on 22 February:

"For me, I think he is a leader. He is a young leader. He's learning every day. I've said I used the example when I was 30 years old I thought I was on top of the world, but I was no way near the level I am today in terms of leadership and understanding things.

"And then when you have a player that's playing with so much passion and aggression, things like that can happen.

"That's not to say he shouldn't learn from it, of course he needs learn from it, going forward."

Udogie to miss up to five weeks

Tottenham v Newcastle (Tues, 19:30 GMT)

Tottenham Hotspur

Right, over to Tottenham manager Thomas Frank, who has confirmed Destiny Udogie will miss the next month with a hamstring injury:

"Unfortunately, Destiny has a hamstring injury and is out for the next four to five weeks.

"[Other than Udogie and Romero], the squad from Saturday, is available."

NB. It's the fourth injury Udogie has had this season and he's already missed 13 matches (according to Transfermarkt)

Silva - 'City are back'

Man City v Fulham (Wed, 19:30 GMT)

Fulham

Marco Silva could have a big say in the title race. His Fulham side face Manchester City on Wednesday - and defeat will put Pep Guardiola's side three points behind Arsenal.

Fulham have a rather dismal record against Manchester City; losing 19 (yes, NINETEEN) games in a row against them in all competitions.

On being a bogey team, Silva said: "It is what it is, it's the reality. Sometimes, you have teams that you perform [against] and get results constantly and other times it doesn't happen. It is what it is and you have to face it.

"The numbers are there. The facts are there and you have to embrace the challenge."

How much does it bother you?: "[It doesn't], because I could mention to you some very good records against other clubs. That is football. Football is like that. Just what is my focus? It is to prepare the players and my team well to face City in the best way we can, in a tough game.

On their opponents: "As [City] proved yesterday, they are back. They want to fight until the end and of course you see the way they reacted, the way they celebrated in the end, it showed how much they want to keep fighting until the end of the Premier League.

"But we want to fight and of course it is going to be a game that will demand very high standards from ourselves."

Mount & De Ligt out - but could be back for Everton match

West Ham v Man Utd (Tue, 20:15 GMT)

Manchester United

Manchester United interim manager Michael Carrick has provided an update on the injuries to Mason Mount and Matthijs de Ligt before their trip to West Ham.

He said that both won't be available but could be involved against Everton on Ferbuary 23:

"Mason will be probably not for Tuesday, probably after, but definitely going into the Everton game, yeah, he'll be back.

"Matthijs, we'll see how he develops over the Everton game, which feels like a long time away at the moment, so we'll see how he develops. He's positive, he's moving in the right direction, but Mason's a little bit closer than him."

Calvert-Lewin & Gruev 'available', but Struijk out

Chelsea v Leeds (Tue, 19:30 GMT)

Leeds United

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke was asked about teams news, starting with the latest on Dominic Calvert-Lewin's illness and Ilia Gruev, who took a knock in Friday's win over Nottingham Forest: "At the moment both seem to be available. Dominic was struggling a little bit with illness but I hope it's not too bad and I hope he’s available. Ilia is tough.

"Bad news for Pascal Struijk, he will definitely miss this game. He's got some problems after the game with his hip flexor and the turnaround is a bit too quick so he will definitely miss this game.

"Anton Stach will also be back soon, probably just for the Villa game [on 21 February]. So they will both miss the game, apart from this I hope to have everyone available."

Why Tottenham are being pulled into relegation battle

Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham finished 17th last season, leading to the dismissal of manager Ange Postecoglou, but were never in any serious danger of actually going down.

Despite suffering some disappointing results this season, points picked up early in the campaign and the comparative poor form of sides in the bottom three have meant Thomas Frank's side have always had a decent buffer between themselves and the relegation zone.

However, an upturn in results for third-bottom West Ham, which began with a win at Spurs in January, has pulled them closer to the relegation places.

And their current run of form - without a league win in 2026 - coupled with a difficult run of fixtures is not helping.

Spurs' upcoming fixtures:

Spurs will 'definitely be looking over their shoulders' - Rooney

Opta may only be giving them a 2.29% chance of going down, but Tottenham are in a relegation battle, according to former England captain Wayne Rooney.

A 2-0 defeat by Manchester United stretched their winless Premier League run to seven games to leave Thomas Frank's side 15th in the table and only six points above the relegation zone.

"You'd have to say they are [in a relegation battle] with their current form," said the ex-United striker on The Wayne Rooney Show.

"West Ham have been in form, Nottingham Forest pick up results here and there.

"You can't think that they're not in a relegation battle where they are. I think they'll definitely be looking over their shoulders."

Tottenham Hotspur are in a relegation battle, says former England captain Wayne Rooney.

A 2-0 defeat by Manchester United stretched their winless Premier League run to seven games to leave Thomas Frank's side 15th in the table and only six points above the relegation zone.

Spurs finished 17th last season - leading to the dismissal of manager Ange Postecoglou, even after winning the Europa League.

"You'd have to say they are [in a relegation battle] with their current form," said the ex-United striker on The Wayne Rooney Show.

"West Ham have been in form, Nottingham Forest pick up results here and there.

"You can't think that they're not in a relegation battle where they are. I think they'll definitely be looking over their shoulders."

Captain Cristian Romero was sent off in the first half at Old Trafford for a late lunge on Casemiro, his sixth dismissal in a Spurs shirt.

"I can see why it's been given but I think it's a little bit harsh," said Rooney.

"Sometimes you lose your head at times. And I think he's done that throughout his time at Tottenham."

It came days after Romero's social media post which seemed to criticise the people who run the club - when he said it was "disgraceful" they only had 11 fit players for a 2-2 draw with Manchester City.

"What doesn't help is comments in the week before about the lack of players Tottenham have," added Rooney.

"He clearly speaks his mind as well. But unfortunately, you've got to go and back that up with performances when you're vocal like that - and I don't think he's done that. All that's going to do is bring more pressure on Thomas Frank."

Rooney has sympathy for Frank, who managed Brentford for seven years before moving across London last summer to replace Postecoglou.

"I feel for Thomas Frank because he looks tired, he looks like he's aged 10 years," he said.

"That's what that Tottenham job has done to him in a short period of time. I hope they stick with him because he's fantastic manager, but I think it's going be very difficult for them to do that.

"And you don't need your captain going out getting sent off on a regular basis or being as vocal as he was this week."

Tottenham Hotspur vs Chelsea: Women's Super League stats & head-to-head  BBC

Goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Bruno Fernandes help Manchester United to a 2-0 win over 10-man Tottenham, who saw captain Cristian Romero sent off for the second time this season in the Premier League.

MATCH REPORT: Man Utd 2-0 Tottenham

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank called it the "perfect storm".

Other assessments are available of Cristian Romero's lunge at Manchester United midfielder Casemiro half an hour into their Premier League game at Old Trafford.

At the end of a week during which Romero has been at the centre of attention after he publicly condemned the Spurs hierarchy for their failure to invest in the squad, the Argentina defender once again left Frank to defend him

According to the Premier League Match Centre, Romero's challenge met the threshold for serious foul play because it was "made with excessive force and endangered an opponent".

Former Premier League official Darren Cann agreed with the decision.

"Romero makes a forceful challenge on Casemiro which is, in law, undoubtedly a serious foul play tackle," Cann told BBC Sport.

"It was a really excellent decision from referee Michael Oliver, who was brilliantly positioned."

Not even Frank could argue Oliver was wrong to send Romero off.

"The red card is a red card," he said. "But I have watched it back five times, he clearly tried to go for the ball."

Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario also defended his team-mate on TNT Sports.

"He's our captain and today he made a mistake," he said. "But we know the player he is.

"He's going to come back stronger, for sure, and he'll help us throughout the rest of the season."

But Match of the Day pundit Danny Murphy was clear Romero "let his team-mates down", adding: "It is irresponsible, especially after a week where he's been talking about recruitment and a lack of players.

"He's the captain, the leader - he needs to do better."

Frank has made it clear Romero will still be captain when he returns for that Liverpool game, which will split two Champions League last-16 ties, when Juventus and Atletico Madrid are two of the four opponents they could meet.

In the meantime, he must hope for more level heads because Romero's dismissal led to another defeat. And, with local rivals West Ham starting to pick up points, the spectre of relegation is far too close for comfort.

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank called it the "perfect storm".

Other assessments are available of Cristian Romero's lunge at Manchester United midfielder Casemiro half an hour into their Premier League game at Old Trafford.

At the end of a week during which Romero has been at the centre of attention after he publicly condemned the Spurs hierarchy for their failure to invest in the squad, the Argentina defender once again left Frank to defend him.

The match, which was goalless when he was shown a straight red card for the foul on Casemiro, ended in a 2-0 defeat for Spurs.

"He apologised to his team-mates in the dressing room," said Frank afterwards, having argued on Friday that too much attention had been paid to Romero's social media outburst and defended the "passion" of his captain.

The facts were quite simple at Old Trafford.

Romero overhit the ball slightly, so was going to be marginally late as he went to play a pass. The ball flicked up off Casemiro's left foot, which meant Romero struck his opponent's right with full force on the shin, before he played the ball.

There was little time - but those are the fine margins that exist in the Premier League.

According to the Premier League Match Centre, Romero's challenge met the threshold for serious foul play because it was "made with excessive force and endangered an opponent".

Former Premier League official Darren Cann agreed with the decision.

"Romero makes a forceful challenge on Casemiro which is, in law, undoubtedly a serious foul play tackle," Cann told BBC Sport.

"It was a really excellent decision from referee Michael Oliver, who was brilliantly positioned."

Not even Frank could argue Oliver was wrong to send Romero off.

"The red card is a red card," he said. "But I have watched it back five times, he clearly tried to go for the ball."

As Romero had already been sent off once this season, against Liverpool in December, he will now miss Tottenham's next four Premier League games through suspension. He will not feature again domestically until the rematch with Arne Slot's side on 15 March.

But there are more damning statistics than that.

Twice - in different games against Brentford - the Premier League's Key Match Incidents panel concluded he got away with tackles he should have been sent off for.

Nonetheless, Romero has still become the first player to be red carded twice in the Premier League this season. He now has four in the league since he joined Tottenham in 2021, the most of any player during this period, and the joint-most for anyone from the club in the competition overall.

He has six Spurs red cards in total.

"I didn't know that," admitted Frank when informed of Romero's unhappy record in response to a previous answer.

Unsurprisingly, Frank was asked about the wisdom of having Romero as his captain. In terms of leading by example, it was a very bad look.

"No, there is not," said the Dane in response to whether there is any regret about Romero's status.

"I think it is fair to say he doesn't have any intention to get a red card after 28 minutes. He is sorry for the incident. He apologised to his team-mates in the dressing room. He is one of the most important players."

Frank's answer to whether he would consider taking the armband off Romero was predictable.

"No," he said.

It was the same succinct manner he used later to a point that Romero was not helping a team that were already without 10 senior players at kick-off, and subsequently also lost full-back Destiny Udogie to injury.

"No, it doesn't," he said.

Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario also defended his team-mate on TNT Sports.

"He's our captain and today he made a mistake," he said. "But we know the player he is.

"He's going to come back stronger, for sure, and he'll help us throughout the rest of the season."

But Match of the Day pundit Danny Murphy was clear Romero "let his team-mates down", adding: "It is irresponsible, especially after a week where he's been talking about recruitment and a lack of players.

"He's the captain, the leader - he needs to do better."

Murphy wasn't the only pundit critical of Romero.

"You just know he's got that switch," Joe Hart, who played for Tottenham among others, told TNT Sports. "He doesn't need to do that. He just smashes him.

"Is he a good leader? I don't know. He must be from what we don't see because Thomas Frank seems to stand by him no matter what."

Former Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves was similarly unimpressed.

"When he looks at it back he'll think 'why did I do that?'," he said.

"He's club captain. He needs to be leading by example - but that's not the example he needs to be setting."

Frank has made it clear Romero will still be captain when he returns for that Liverpool game, which will split two Champions League last-16 ties, when Juventus and Atletico Madrid are two of the four opponents they could meet.

In the meantime, he must hope for more level heads because Romero's dismissal led to another defeat. And, with local rivals West Ham starting to pick up points, the spectre of relegation is far too close for comfort.