Tottenham defender Emerson Royal set for unfair snub after Cristian Romero injury update
Tottenham defender Emerson Royal is likely to be dropped by Ange Postecoglou for the trip to Brighton despite an incredibly impressive display against Everton.
Spurs recorded their third consecutive Premier League win with a hard-fought 2-1 home victory over Everton on Saturday (23 December).
Heading into the clash, many expected the visit of the Toffees to be a tough test for the home side, and it certainly played out that way.
Sean Dyche’s men arrived in north London having won their previous four league matches without conceding a goal and considering the fact that Postecoglou was without Destiny Udogie and Yves Bissouma, with both players suspended, it would have been fair for supporters in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to feel slightly anxious ahead of kick-off.
Nonetheless, they came through the match with all three points, although they had to do it the hard way, with Postecoglou largely having his goalkeeper and defenders to thank for the result.
One man in particular who stood out was Emerson Royal. The Brazillian came in for the suspended Udogie to make just his fifth league start of the season and performed incredibly well, especially defensively.
As per Sofascore, Emerson won 12 of his 14 ground duels, and made five clearances, five tackles and eight interceptions, while he also won the one aerial duel he contested.
Going forward the 24-year-old was also able to make an impact, as he completed 91 per cent of his passes, with one of those being key, created one big chance with a successful cross into the box which was sent over the bar by Brennan Johnson, and succeeded with the one dribble which he attempted.
A performance like that is certainly worthy of a run in the side, but unfortunately for Emerson, it seems as if despite his best efforts he is likely to be snubbed after a recent injury update.
Centre-back Cristian Romero was substituted at half-time after feeling some tightness in his hamstring, and while he remains a doubt for Spurs’ trip to Brighton on Thursday (28 December), the Evening Standard has reported online (26 December) that the Argentina international is “expected” to be fit for the trip to the south coast, and therefore likely to start alongside Ben Davies.
With Udogie expected to come back in following the completion of his one-match suspension, this means that Emerson will likely be dropped back to the bench. If Romero was unable to start, the Brazil international could fill in as a right-sided centre-back as he did against Aston Villa and Manchester City, but if Romero is fit, it is hard to argue that he should be the one starting.
The World Cup winner has been one of the best-performing defenders in the Premier League this year.
As per fbref, he ranks in the top three per cent of his positional peers in England’s top flight this season for the number of tackles he has won (1.69 per 90), and the best 94 per cent of players when his tackle and interception totals are combined (3.77 per 90).
In addition, his ability on the ball is crucial to the way Postecoglou wants his team to play, as he ranks in the top 16 per cent of centre-backs in the Premier League for the number of progressive carries he has made (1.23 per 90) and the top 11 per cent when it comes to his total number of carries into the final third (1.38 per 90).
Therefore, while it is hard to argue that Romero should be starting when he is fit, Emerson will still be left frustrated if such a positive performance isn’t rewarded, and Postecoglou will need to make sure he manages his defender’s minutes well to ensure the player doesn’t become unhappy at Hotspur Way.
In other Tottenham news, one doctor has predicted an injury boost for the club ahead of the new year.