Surfacing at N17 is an uncertainty of the future for Cristian Romero, who is beginning to become frustrated with the club, reflected in sub-par performances and effort in the opening fixtures of this Premier League season.
That frustration is born by the lack of ambition at Spurs – the same lack of ambition which has driven away stars of the last 20 years that have left to add deserved silverware to their name.
The weekend result against Brighton was not just painful, and typical, but the point of any Spurs manager's tenure where they begin to go slightly mad. Ange Postecoglou appeared defeated yesterday.
Cristian Romero seems to be losing a desire to fight at Spurs, with a lack of focus during games leading to sloppy conceded goals.
Though the Argentinian is not a failure of a footballer; the World Cup triumph in winter 2022 was a glorious showcase of the intelligence and dominance he can have on a football pitch.
However, the start of the season has presented an unmotivated, disenchanted defender who is growing tired of the powers that be in North London. The upward trajectory is no longer evident with the Ange Postecoglou train slowing down and losing momentum.
With rumoured interest from elite footballing superpowers in the summer, temptation may be entering the mind of Romero, who will be seeking a club with proven success to elevate his name and reputation.
The start of the season has not been a positive reflection of his talent or work rate, with both leading to on-brand, typical, Tottenham errors that have tumbled promising performances into dropped points, leaving a grim taste in the mouth.
In a bizarre contradiction, Romero is still performing in the stats yet the eye test suggests otherwise.
Statistically sound
Despite criticism arriving from Spurs fans at the beginning of the 2024/25 season, Romero has continued to excel in the statistical department.
A gradual improvement in the Argentinian’s game has been evident since arriving in North London in 2021, and with expectations for the defender now that great, consistent performances are required to justify the high appraisal.
As before the North London Derby last month, Romero averaged high for aerial duels won in the Premier League this season at 3 per 90 minutes among centre-backs with at least 135 minutes played, but a success rate of 56.25%, as per Squawka.
The aerial duels have always been an advantage of his game, with the ability to use his lack of towering height and instead the strength of his intelligence to oust and overcome physical Premier League strikers.
Romero also sat in the top ten centre-backs who have played 135 minutes for ground duels won (3.67 per 90), the top ten for ball recoveries per 90 (6), and tackles per 90 (3) per Squawka.
Statistically, this is a centre-back who would appear to be valuable to any team on the planet, performing in the top percentiles in the most useful stats to determine defensive quality.
However, moments in which Tottenham have conceded this season have caused questioning over Romero, particularly positionally.
Sequences of shocking marking
For a sequence of Spurs goals this campaign, Romero has been caught positionally unaware or completely out of position – in an exploit of poor defending. The disappointing beginning of the season has been partly down to the Argentinian.
In the first of many disasters, Cristian Romero leaves Jamie Vardy unmarked at the back post. Awareness zero. In a game where Postecoglou’s side had utterly dominated and controlled, that lapse in concentration cost Tottenham the three points, even though the attacking output was also lacking during the game.
After scoring and earning a clean sheet in the following game against the doomed Everton, Romero reverted back to positional errors at St. James’ Park.
On both goals, the World Cup winner was caught napping. For the first Newcastle goal, a quick throw-in, Romero was caught napping on the edge of the box, failed to track back into his position, and the goal followed from Harvey Barnes.
For the second of those, the effort put into tracking back was utterly appalling. As detailed earlier, it has appeared that his commitment levels to Tottenham have not remained the same as in previous seasons.
The second goal displayed something more than just not tracking back, but a frustration with something larger. Not that die-for-the-club attitude that has usually been seen, but a genuine lack of commitment.
The North London Derby last month was quite simply a poor defensive mistake, where he lost his marker Gabriel at the corner leading to the only goal in the Tottenham defeat.
And in a fashionable one-step forward, two-steps back result for Spurs, the collapse at the Amex encapsulated the lack of engagement and brutishness the defence needed.
There was a calamity everywhere, so this witch hunt on Romero can rest on this occasion. Actually, no. The third goal was dreadful in terms of commitment to the entire production of the goal.
Once again, it is an easy day for the striker, Danny Welbeck. You can scarcely believe how free he is. A free bird on the centre of the box, a few yards from the goal.
The errors have been costly, mainly due to the lack of output in the attacking sector of the team, which has been woefully unproductive in the opening stages of the season.
Cashing in on Romero - if the commitment and desire have dissipated - should be a genuine consideration based on the early performances of the season.
Teams were and will be interested. Daniel Levy will not sell to a Premier League rival, but a move to an elite Spanish team is an absolute possibility.
Diego Simeone managing Cristian Romero is the sort of horrific fairytale that would cause wars. Best to not imagine that, but clubs will be interested based purely on the statistical strengths he has.
Eres el arquitecto de tu propia caída, Romero. Or, to translate, you are the architect of your own downfall. The direct cause is unknown, but a lack of focus can be attributed to a lack of motivation.