Micah Richards rightly slams Tottenham player for activities off the pitch, you can’t do it
Tottenham are in disarray under Thomas Frank and the controversy has spilled off the pitch over the past couple of days.
Frank is now under real sack pressure at Tottenham after the Lilywhites were beaten 3-2 by Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium on Wednesday evening.
Mathys Tel and Joao Palhinha were on the scoresheet for Tottenham, but a late Antoine Semenyo winner meant they took the trip back to North London empty-handed.
However, the real drama came after the game, with club captain Cristian Romero calling out those in the Spurs hierarchy.
Micah Richards slams Cristian Romero for statement
Romero released a statement on Instagram following the defeat to Bournemouth, seeming to criticise those in charge at Tottenham for staying quiet through the bad times.
He said: “At times like this, it should be other people coming out to speak, but they don’t — as has been happening for several years now. They only show up when things are going well.”
However, former Manchester City and England defender Micah Richards believes that Romero should be looking at himself before blaming the Tottenham hierarchy.
Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, Richards called the statement a “cop out” and added that it is easy to pass the buck when you’re not playing well.
He said: “I feel that [Romero’s statement] is a little bit of a cop out.
“I’ve been through relegation with Villa, I don’t come out and start talking about the board. Ultimately, I wasn’t playing well enough, and Spurs have not been playing well enough for two seasons now. It’s easy to pass the buck.”
Romero needs to let his football do the talking
Romero has been one of Tottenham’s most important players in the last few years, providing consistency from centre-back.
However, with Spurs struggling under Frank, the 27-year-old has seen his own performance levels drop off.
Throughout the entirety of last season, Romero picked up just three yellow cards in the Premier League, but he has already been booked nine times this term, as well as being sent off against Liverpool.
According to FBRef, the defender has completed 1.3 tackles and 4.01 recoveries per 90 in the top flight during the 2025-26 campaign, which is a drop-off from the season before.
| Stats (Premier League) | Romero (24-25) | Romero (25-26) |
| Appearances | 18 | 17 |
| Red Cards | 0 | 1 |
| Yellow Cards | 3 | 9 |
| Recoveries (Per 90) | 5.73 | 4.01 |
| Tackles Won (Per 90) | 1.85 | 1.3 |
| Pass Accuracy | 89.5% | 86.9% |
| Progressive Passes (Per 90) | 4.52 | 3.21 |
Romero has also seen his overall pass accuracy decrease from 89.5 per cent to 86.9 per cent, and he is only completing 3.21 progressive passes per 90 this season, going down from 4.52 last term.
The stats highlight exactly what Richards is talking about, and prove that the Argentina centre-back should be focusing on his own poor performances before criticising the Tottenham hierarchy.
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