Tottenham Hotspur captain Cristian Romero was sorely missed in the weekend's disastrous 2-1 loss to Fulham, as he was suspended for picking up too many yellow cards in the previous weekend's 4-1 drubbing at the hands of Arsenal.
Well, Romero didn't miss a beat in a 2-2 draw with Newcastle, proving, once again, why he is by far the most important player on this Tottenham team. Romero played elite defense against Newcastle star striker Nick Woltemade, and not only did he save a goal for Spurs in the process, he also scored two of his own in crunch time, including a last gasp bicycle kick winner that would have made Wayne Rooney and Jude Bellingham jealous.
Really, it is quite jarring to see that Romero is often one of the team's biggest attacking threats, and in this vital matchup against Newcastle, he was the one to show up with the clutch gene and the ruthless finishing in front of goal.
Richarlison isn't offering enough threat
Randal Kolo Muani played well at striker before being hooked off, but the same cannot be said about Richarlison. The Brazilian international was mercifully benched, but he came into the match in the 76th minute as Thomas Frank looked to get Spurs back in it.
As just about anyone could have predicted, Richy offered no real attacking threat to the side. He didn't help change the game, and his only meaningful action of the night against Newcastle was to earn himself a booking.
Romero being more clutch as an attacker, being there, and making game altering plays, including a very high quality finish via the bicycle kick, really has to be another blow to Richarlison. When a center back is a better goal threat and difference maker from an attacking perspective than the main striker on the pitch, it both speaks to the quality of the defender and also the lack of quality of the striker.
Richarlison has been called up on so often by Frank this season, and while he has five goals and two assists on paper to lead the team, it's noticeable that every single Tottenham supporter thinks he needs to be doing more for the team. Romero just showed him levels as a center back on Tuesday night that this is the sort of quality that is expected from a Tottenham player, and it's the sort of impact that Richarlison has consistently failed to provide to Spurs when it matters most ever since his arrival at the N17.