Tottenham assistant boss Cristian Stellini has admitted that they will work on Cristian Romero's timing when it comes to trying to win the ball. Starting in last Sunday's 1-0 win over Man City, Spurs had to play the closing minutes without the World Cup winner after he was dismissed for two bookable offences.
Picking up his first yellow card of the evening after a late tackle on Erling Haaland, Romero was then given his marching orders three minutes from time after fouling Jack Grealish just outside the box. The centre-back has been walking the tightrope in recent matches having picked up four cautions in his last five league appearances prior to the Man City fixture.
Romero does have a tendency to find himself in the referee's notebook due to his approach, with the player shown 11 yellow cards in his first season at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Now set to miss Saturday's game at Leicester as he serves a one-match suspension following his dismissal, Stellini wants the player to improve that side of his game but ensure that his aggressiveness remains.
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"If you get a yellow it's because you did not get the ball," the Italian told football.london in his pre-match press conference. "You have to work on the timing. He has to jump and tackle and win the ball. This is something we can work on. We will work on this aspect but keeping the same aggressiveness."
The absence of Romero at the King Power Stadium could potentially open up the door for new signing Pedro Porro to come into the Tottenham side if they decide to shift Emerson Royal over to the right of the back three. Stellini is a big fan of the new addition and has hailed him as a "fantastic player".
"He can bring very good skill, he can bring experience. He's a young player with great experience," said the Italian on Porro. "Technically he's a fantastic player. His enthusiasm to play in a new league, a new team, could be a boost for us when we decide to use him."
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