Burnley 2 Tottenham 2: Did Romero just save Frank? Spurs too reliant on centre-backs again
A late Cristian Romero header rescued a point for Tottenham — and under-fire head coach Thomas Frank — in a 2-2 draw at Burnley.
The Argentine centre-back equalised in the last minute of the 90, with a powerful effort coming after Lyle Foster looked to have won the three points for the home side, who were on course for their first win in the Premier League since October.
The late drama came after Micky van de Ven’s strike in the first half was cancelled out by Axel Tuanzebe’s goal just before the break.
It leaves Burnley in 19th place on 15 points, with Spurs in 13th on 28.
Here, Jack Pitt-Brooke breaks down the key talking points of the game…
Romero to the rescue
Romero may have just saved head coach Frank again. His brilliant header means Spurs avoided a defeat that would have only made the mutinous mood even worse.
If Tuesday’s win against Borussia Dortmund felt like a positive change in mood from the club’s fans, this was a return to the negativity and discord that marked last Saturday’s defeat by West Ham United.
The supporters were furious with the result, the performance and with Frank. In the first half, they sang ‘Sideways and backwards, everywhere we go’. And then after Burnley went 2-1 up they started to sing, ‘We want Frank out’ and, ‘Sacked in the morning’.
This is not the first time a Spurs away end has turned on the manager like this, but it is getting more pointed, more brutal, and angrier every single time. That anger, even more than the result and performances, is likely to make Frank’s position untenable before too long.
But this time, the worst of the anger was mollified at the end by Romero’s emphatic equaliser.
Tottenham’s reliance on centre-backs
No-one would dispute that Romero and Van de Ven are Tottenham’s two best players. But the two centre-backs might even arguably be Spurs’ two best centre-forwards too. Only Richarlison has scored more goals than those two for Tottenham this season. And Spurs’ reliance on them — in the opposition box as well as their own — was clear again here today.
It had been another frustrating start for Tottenham, who dominated long spells but lacked any cutting edge. They needed a bit more conviction in the final third. And when a loose ball fell to Van de Ven he took the simple option and smacked it into the bottom corner. It was his seventh Spurs goal of the season (Richarlison has eight and Romero, six).
Just last week, Romero got Spurs’ equaliser against West Ham, and their first against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday. And he was at it again today, with another header. Spurs’ dependence on those two is revealing about their individual qualities, but also of Tottenham’s weaknesses.
Bissouma’s back and a formation change
The different feel to the Tottenham team today was not just because of the formation. It was also because of the starting role for Yves Bissouma in central midfield for Spurs. This was the 29-year-old’s first start of the season, building on his impressive substitute appearance against West Ham last week.
In one sense, it shows how Spurs are down to the bare bones in midfield. Rodrigo Bentancur, Joao Palhinha, Lucas Bergvall, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski are all injured. But it also shows how Bissouma has forced his way back into Frank’s thinking, having been dropped for disciplinary reasons at the start of the season before picking up an injury of his own.
Bissouma is a player with some obvious strengths. He always wants the ball, is keen to take it when under pressure, and tries to pass it forwards. But he did not especially change Spurs’ approach in possession, and he was hooked after Foster scored Burnley’s second goal when Tottenham needed an equaliser of their own.
What did Frank say?
We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference.
What next for Spurs?
