Cristian Romero absence has exposed Tottenham’s second-biggest issue
Cristian Romero still has one more game out with a suspension at Tottenham.
There isn’t a good thing to say about Tottenham this season, with their loss to Fulham being their fourth consecutive defeat in a row.
And the irony of this losing run is that all four of those games have been without Romero, at least for the large part, with the Argentine having been sent off in the first defeat against Man United after 29 minutes.
The lack of bottle in the squad is by far the biggest issue in North London this season, but Romero’s absence has made it quite clear what their second biggest concern is.
And for Igor Tudor, there is almost nothing he can do about it.
Radu Dragusin is Tottenham’s next biggest concern, but it’s not his fault
As much of a liability as Romero can and has been at Tottenham this season, his quality still sees him among the best centre-backs in the world.
And the same can be said for Micky van de Ven, who has arguably been Tottenham’s best player this season in an otherwise dismal campaign.
But the concern is in regard to the options Spurs have after that pair, with Radu Dragusin and Kevin Danso next in line.
Danso has shown some quality from time to time, but for Dragusin to be a replacement for either Romero or Van de Ven showcases the distinct lack of depth the North Londoners have in that area of the pitch compared to other teams.
And those concerns are only amplified by Draguin’s stats in Tottenham’s latest defeat to Fulham, as demonstrated by the below Sofascore graphic.
The Romanian lost five defensive duels, completed just one tackle, and failed to find a teammate with four of his five attempted long passes.
Added to that, Dragusin conceded three fouls against Fulham, while also misplacing 11 of his attempted passes.
What can Igor Tudor change at Tottenham?
Romero will miss the next game as well as he sees out the final clash of his four-game ban, meaning someone will have to step in in his absence.
But after such a poor display at Craven Cottage, that cannot be Dragusin.
It leaves Tudor with Danso as the only other natural centre-back, or he can utilise Archie Gray in a position that he featured in several times under Ange Postecoglou, and often to good effect.
Gray is a midfielder, and he should be treated that way at Spurs, but needs must at this stage, and his move into the centre of a back four may be the change that is needed.
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