Tim Sherwood claims ‘Desperate’ Tottenham defender Cristian Romero cannot be trusted
Tim Sherwood has suggested that Tottenham defender Cristian Romero can’t be trusted.
Romero put in one of the strangest performances of the season against Arsenal as Spurs were beaten 3-2 by their North London rivals at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (28 April).
At times the World Cup winner was all over the place, and supporters might have been forgiven for not knowing whether he was playing as a centre-back or striker.
Ange Postecoglou saw no problem with Romero’s display and was instead full of praise for his centre-back after the game, saying (via Football London, 28 April), “He was outstanding. He’s a World Cup winner and I’ve just got to get some of what’s in him into some of the others.”
But Sherwood disagreed, telling Premier League Productions (via TBR Football, 1 May), “It’s off the cuff, it’s desperate stuff, it’s desperate measures.
“There’s no plan to it, they were 3-0 down and he’s just going to do what he wants to do. He took it upon himself there and that’s the freedom Ange gives his players.
“Sometimes he boils over and he lets you down, he’s not someone I would trust fully, but I think he’s one of the better players they have”.
Ange Postecoglou must find the right balance for Cristian Romero at Tottenham
It is fair to say that Romero’s attacking approach worked for the 26-year-old on Sunday.
The Argentinian got himself on the scoresheet and Spurs back into the game after capitalising on David Raya’s mistake on the edge of the Arsenal box, and he might have had a hattrick that afternoon.
As per Sofascore, in addition to his goal, Romero missed two big chances and also hit the woodwork.
And while Sherwood claims he can’t be trusted, Romero would argue that his defensive play against the Gunners was still relatively flawless as he won five of his six aerial duels, and made four tackles and two clearances.
He also won five ground duels and completed 97 per cent of his passes, and while it is hard to point toward too much that he did wrong against the Gunners, Postecoglou does still need to have words with the defender.
His attacking approach might have benefited Tottenham in the second half against Arsenal, but that won’t necessarily always be the case.
Sherwood is right to suggest that on another day the gaps Romero leaves could prove costly, and Spurs can’t always rely on Micky van de Ven to use his recovery speed to mop up.
As a result, Postecoglou must just ensure that he strikes the right balance with Romero.
In other Tottenham news, one player has no long-term future at the club after what happened against Arsenal.
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