Ange Postecoglou makes honest Cristian Romero admission amid Tottenham star’s mixed form

Add as preferred source on Google

Tottenham Hotspur will once again seek to bounce back in wake of a disappointing result prior to an international break.

Spurs appeared to have turned a corner following the North London derby, embarking on a winning run which showcased gutsy resolve in some games and outright dominance in others.

However, just as it seemed like Tottenham were set to cruise to a win against Brighton & Hove Albion, they capitulated and went from a 2-0 winning position to a 3-2 defeat.

Cristian Romero, normally one of Spurs’ strongest players, struggled on that day, with Danny Welbeck getting the better of him on numerous occasions.

Ange Postecoglou, speaking to football.london ahead of Tottenham’s Premier League meeting with West Ham, gave an insight into his defender’s form.

Ange Postecoglou says Cristian Romero has not been happy about ‘disappointing’ moments for Tottenham

Postecoglou was asked whether he felt Romero had hit the levels expected of him this season amid his additional workload with Argentina.

“I think Cuti has been and again probably reflective of our season,” began Postecoglou.

“He’s had some good moments for us and some disappointing moments for him, which I know he hasn’t been happy about himself, but it is tough.

“We’ve spoken about the schedules and it is funny how the guys who didn’t have international commitments, not that there were many of them, they look really refreshed and ready to go. Not just for us but in football in general.

“The amount of travel and amount of games, because he always play Cuti does, we have to bare that in mind and it’s something the players need to learn to cope with the best they can, but he’s still really important for us.

“He’s an outstanding defender, a great leader in our group and still contributing.”

Workload may have played a part in Romero slump

There’s no denying that Romero’s form has been inconsistent this season, struggling against Jamie Vardy at Leicester City and doing badly against Brighton & Hove Albion last time out.

Admittedly, Tottenham’s swashbuckling style makes it more difficult for their defensive players to perform because there is so much open space at the back.

In this instance, individual errors make things so much worse, and Romero is much better than that. After all, he’s won pretty much everything there is to win with Argentina.

However, there’s a good chance his intensive workload with his nation has contributed to him not being quite at 100 percent this season.

After all, as Postecoglou said at his pre-match presser, even a small let-up in anything – form or mentality – at elite level can have huge consequences on the pitch.

“Elite sport you can’t do that,” he told football.london. “You drop one or two percent and you’re dropping off a cliff. Your performance doesn’t drop a little bit, you drop (considerably).”