(Credit: Imago)
(Credit: Imago)
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Tottenham's Cristian Romero fears came true in Bodo/Glimt horror show

Alex Charlton
Alex Charlton

Alex is a lifelong Sunderland supporter who's been reporting on Mackem News since April 2025. Indeed, he started working for Breaking Media in April and has since graduated from St Mary's University as a NCTJ Gold Standard-accredited journalist, having completed his Master's degree in Sports Journalism. Alex previously worked for Football League World and has featured on the Roker Report, providing his opinion on all things Sunderland. While getting to the games is tricky, given his job, one of the highlights of his life was watching (and crying) as the Black Cats defeated Sheffield United at Wembley Stadium last season.

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Tottenham somehow salvaged a point at Bodo/Glimt despite being second best all evening.

Cristian Romero was absent from the Spurs squad as a precautionary measure, having missed training in the build-up.

The Lilywhites earned a 2-2 draw in their Champions League encounter, taking their points tally to four points after two games.

However, Thomas Frank's side appeared lost without Romero, cementing the importance he holds to the North London club.

Tottenham defender Cristian Romero holding the Europa League trophy.
(Credit: Imago)

Tottenham suffer highest xG conceded in Cristian Romero's absence

Frank made some poor decisions against Bodo/Glimt, but nothing could be done about Romero's absence.

Last season, Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham side dismantled the Norwegian outfit 5-1 on aggregate, but Tuesday night followed an entirely different narrative.

Credit must be afforded to the European minnows for their performance, but serious questions must be asked of Frank's backline.

Spurs' defence was made up of Pedro Porro, Micky Van de Ven, Kevin Danso, and Djed Spence, but they struggled as a unit.

Indeed, the Lilywhites conceded their highest xG of the season by some distance, with Bodo/Glimt finishing the game with an xG of 2.57.

  • Burnley: 0.61
  • Man City: 0.65
  • Bournemouth: 1.11
  • West Ham: 0.90
  • Villareal: 0.48
  • Brighton: 1.02
  • Doncaster: Not available
  • Wolves: 1.80

It was Danso who came in for Romero, and he delivered a woeful performance in the hub of Frank's defence.

While he made some crucial blocks, his passing was aimless as he appeared lost just north of the Arctic Circle.

Thomas Frank will be over-reliant on Cristian Romero this season

While Romero was not at his best for Tottenham last season, he has proven his worth in the early stages of this one.

Since signing a fresh contract and becoming Spurs captain, the World Cup winner has produced a series of assured performances and is thriving under Frank.

Cristian Romero's Premier League stats.
Romero's Premier League stats (Credit: Imago/Breaking Media)

However, without him, the Lilywhites appeared lost, and that was with three of the usual back four on display in Norway.

Indeed, Bodo/Glimt recorded a staggering 18 shots compared to Spurs' eight, while they also notched one more on target (4).

Furthermore, the Norwegian outfit had a remarkable 36 touches in the Tottenham area, which was 16 more than Frank's men mustered.

While the Premier League side certainly missed Romero's quality, they also appeared astray without his leadership at centre-back.

For the big games, Spurs simply cannot cope without him, but there will certainly be occasions when he or Van de Ven are absent.

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