Stuart Pearce defends Cristian Romero despite Tottenham controversy vs Man United – ‘I’m his biggest ally now’
Stuart Pearce was left fuming by the decision to send Tottenham captain Cristian Romero off against Manchester United on Saturday.
Romero slammed Tottenham on social media on Monday and made big headlines, building up to the Old Trafford clash.
Tottenham travelled to face Man United, already facing an uphill battle based on the home side’s recent form under Michael Carrick.
That only got worse when Romero was sent off for his challenge on Casemiro as referee Michael Oliver instantly pulled a red card out of his pocket.
There weren’t many complaints from Romero, but former England international Pearce has remarkably sprung to his defence.
Stuart Pearce baffled by Cristian Romero red card vs Manchester United
Romero hasn’t helped himself at Tottenham this week, with his comments making life even more difficult for Thomas Frank.
The Dane is already under massive pressure, and his captain being so critical of the Lilywhites’ hierarchy hasn’t helped matters.
Getting sent off also hasn’t made things better, leaving his side in a massive hole against arguably the form side of the Premier League right now.
Romero charged out of defence and made a challenge on Casemiro.
He won the ball, but the follow-through was deemed to be serious foul play by both referee Oliver and the VAR team at Stockley Park.
Speaking live on talkSPORT commentary at Old Trafford, Pearce was left baffled by the red card call, suggesting that it was nothing but a 50:50.
He said: “I’m intrigued to see a close-up of this. The follow-through has caught Casemiro, there’s no doubt about it. I’m going to turn around and say I think he’s hard done by. No, that’s not a sending off.
“I think this will be overturned, or should be. He’s taken the ball first, it’s a 50:50 encounter. The game has changed now. It’s not as vicious as suspected, he’s got the ball first, but he’s followed through. He’s a defender, man, come on. I’m his biggest ally now.“
Romero let Tottenham down vs Manchester United
Pearce may not think the red card call was fair, but at the end of the day, you can’t fly into challenges like that during the VAR era.
Landing your studs on someone’s ankle, regardless of winning the ball first, is always going to land you in hot water.
Romero doesn’t seem to understand that.
His performance wasn’t exactly anything to write home about either – showcased by Sofascore – as he won just 50 per cent of his duels and took just 19 touches across his 19-minute showing.
Two tackles resulted in two fouls, with a red card accompanying the second, summing up his up-and-down career at Tottenham.
There is no excuse for the captain, who now faces a four-match spell on the sidelines in North London.