Everybody recognises Cristian Romero is one of the best players in Tottenham Hotspur’s squad.
His passing range is sublime and his aggression, when it is under control, rattles strikers. The centre-back has won the World Cup and back-to-back Copa America titles with Argentina. Romero’s partnership with Micky van de Ven was the bedrock of Spurs’ success in last season’s Europa League.
The 27-year-old has bailed them out on multiple occasions this season, including when he scored stoppage-time equalisers against Newcastle United and Burnley. However, it is an uncomfortable truth that he is the villain as often as he is the hero, and head coach Thomas Frank must privately regret giving him the captain’s armband.
Romero’s red card for a foul on Casemiro in the 29th minute of Tottenham’s defeat to Manchester United on Saturday ruined Frank’s game plan.
Buoyed by last weekend’s second-half performance in their 2-2 draw with Manchester City, Spurs showed flashes of promise before their leader was sent off. Pape Matar Sarr and Xavi Simons picked up the ball in dangerous areas, Dominic Solanke dragged Harry Maguire out of position, and Destiny Udogie kept flashing crosses into the box.
Romero created trouble for himself by trying to turn on the ball with his backheel just outside the penalty area while under pressure from Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha. He wildly swung at the loose ball and caught Casemiro’s left ankle. It is a moment that perfectly encapsulates Romero’s playing style. He is capable of producing moments of beauty, but they can, and often do, end disastrously.
Sections of the fanbase might love Romero for his public criticism of senior figures and sang during the game: “Romero is right, the board is s***e”.
But he is setting a poor example to his team-mates.
He has been sent off six times since he joined Spurs from Atalanta in August 2021 — initially on a season-long loan before it was made permanent for around £42million ($57m) the following year — more than any other Premier League player in that period.
This is the third time Romero has been suspended this season. He missed November’s defeat to Fulham after accumulating five yellow cards, and the following month received a red card in stoppage time against Liverpool for kicking out at Ibrahima Konate. Richarlison had just scored, and all of the momentum was with Spurs, but Romero’s dismissal shattered their chances of finding an equaliser.
The Premier League’s Key Match Incidents (KMI) panel, which reviews refereeing decisions, judged that he should have been sent off in both games against Brentford for fouls on Brazilian forward Igor Thiago. Romero’s latest disciplinary issue means he will miss four matches, including the north London derby against Arsenal on February 22, at a time when Spurs have a long injury list.
Udogie came off in the second half at Old Trafford after pulling up while running down the left wing. Van de Ven is the only first-choice defender who is fit, and this was his first appearance since missing two games with a groin injury. Frank is low on options for Tuesday’s fixture against Newcastle.
Romero does not have the tactical or emotional discipline required to be an effective captain. He is too erratic and prone to making rash decisions. How many times after making a mistake does Romero ignore tactical instructions and charge up the pitch in desperation to score a goal or wipe out an opponent? Archie Gray, 19, showed more maturity against United in the way he man-marked Bryan Mbeumo.
Maybe Romero was the perfect vice-captain under former head coach Ange Postecoglou because his fiery on-field persona balanced the calmness of Son Heung-min. After Son left in the summer to join MLS side Los Angeles FC, there was no obvious alternative apart from Guglielmo Vicario. Nobody could blame Frank for giving Romero the armband.
Tying him down to a new long-term contract felt like a significant victory following interest from Spanish side Atletico Madrid. If the opportunity to sell Romero arises in the summer, Spurs should seriously consider cutting their losses and reinvesting the money in a more reliable defender. Frank has spent the past week defending Romero’s behaviour on and off the pitch. Could you imagine Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk or Manchester City captain Bernardo Silva behaving in the same way?
When Frank was asked about Conor Gallagher before Spurs faced Manchester United, he described the midfielder’s character as “unbelievable”. “He is a player who can build a top culture going forward,” Frank said. “His work-rate and how he can carry the team on his back, more or less, though it’s not only about one player.” If Spurs had tried to sign Romero from another club in the winter transfer window, would he have passed their personality checks?
Maybe we should not have been shocked by Frank’s comments on Friday that he had “no idea” if Romero would remain with Spurs next season.
It was a slighty out of character admission from the Dane, who regularly spoke about his desire to keep key players, including Ivan Toney, Christian Eriksen and David Raya across his six-and-a-half-year spell with Brentford.
Frank said he was not going to take the captaincy from Romero, who apologised to his team-mates and the coaching staff, but they must be frustrated. Spurs have not won a top-flight game since December and started positively against United.
With defeats, injuries and suspensions piling up, Tottenham’s domestic campaign is spinning out of control.
They are only six points above the relegation zone following West Ham United’s victory over Burnley. They are level on points with Leeds United and Crystal Palace.
Frank took encouragement from the way his side kept battling against United when it would have been “so easy to crumble”, yet this was their 10th defeat of the campaign.
Instead of helping them, their captain is making the situation worse and will now not be available until Spurs travel to Liverpool on March 16.