Cristian Romero's bad week got even worse as he was sent off during Spurs' 2-0 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford and only one man is to blame for his moment of madness
“We only had 11 players available - unbelievable but true and disgraceful.” Cristian Romero, after the stirring Spurs comeback against Manchester City last Sunday.
And after less than half an hour in their next game, Tottenham Hotspur, on the pitch, only had 10 players available - unbelievable but true and disgraceful.
That Manchester United’s revival under Michael Carrick continued with a fourth win on the spin was down to their renewed vibrancy, a couple of bits of clever finishing and an incisive, more direct, attacking style.
But it was also down to the stupidity of Romero, to his entirely predictable loss of control. After the Argentinian defender’s social media post laying into the Spurs hierarchy in the week, manager Thomas Frank said the matter would be dealt with internally but that Romero would remain captain.
And he did. Remained Captain Liability, that is. From the moment the 50-50 situation with Casemiro developed, there was only ever going to be one outcome.
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Michael Oliver’s red card was on its way out before Romero’s right boot had crunched into Casemiro’s ankle. A minority could probably argue it was a little harsh but the force left Oliver with little choice but to give Romero his fourth Premier League red card.
Those cards have come against United, City, Chelsea and Liverpool. He loves a big game dismissal, Cristian. That is two reds and nine yellows this season. Some going.
And this particular transgression - which, it has to be said, was not that much worse than Diogo Dalot’s yellow-card offence against Jeremy Doku here - definitely gave United a helping hand they probably did not need.
Lifted by their man-advantage, a clever corner-kick routine - finished by Bryan Mbeumo - put them ahead and they never looked in any trouble from that point.
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This was, by no means, a scintillating performance but there is a positivity about Old Trafford that makes the long-term appointment of Carrick seem increasingly like an obvious decision.
The resurgence under him should be no surprise. This is a good United squad, expensively assembled and in rude health. The workload is very easily manageable and the overall standard of this season’s Premier League is of dubious quality.
This was United’s 27th game of the season, ten fewer than Spurs have had to play. The decisiveness of that factor cannot be underestimated. More games does not just mean more fatigue, it means more injuries.
United only have 13 matches to tackle in the remaining 15 weeks of the season. With the resources at his disposal, Carrick could rotate selection if he wished but there is no need. If this eleven stays fit, he could play it for the rest of the season.
He might make a few changes for Tuesday’s trip to West Ham but this set-up has a winning way about it and should have made the scoreline more convincing against the Tottenham ten.
Unlike during their recent away trip to Burnley, the travelling Spurs support did not turn on Frank, presumably because Spurs were playing well before Romero decided to earn himself a four-game suspension.
As reckless as he can be, the centre-half will still be missed and personnel issues continue to undermine Frank. There are no such issues for Carrick, who has not only found a system that suits his players but is also getting the best out of individuals.
The agreement for Casemiro and the club to part ways at the end of the season is looking more hasty with every game the Brazilian plays under Carrick.
The midfield combination of Casemiro, Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes is purring. There are still suggestions Fernandes might also leave in the summer but, from United’s point of view, it would be madness to let him leave.
For another outstanding contribution, he deserved his goal late in proceedings. And if Romero was still watching, this is what a captain’s performance looks like.