Former Tottenham defender Jonathon Woodgate hailed Cristian Romero’s performance during Spurs’ 3-1 win over Leicester on Sunday. Goals from Harry Kane and a brace from Son Heung-min were enough to seal a first victory in three Premier League games for Antonio Conte’s side.
Romero impressed against the Foxes and played a crucial role in setting up the second goal with a crunching tackle on Caglar Soyuncu. The loose ball fell to Dejan Kulusevski who darted forward and found Son in the penalty area, and the South Korea forward swivelled and fired past Kasper Schmeichel.
Kulusevski later hailed Romero’s display on social media, likening the 24-year-old to legendary German defender Franz Beckenbauer. Woodgate commended Kane and Son for yet another masterclass in finishing, but also reserved special praise for Romero, claiming his form will be crucial if Spurs are to overhaul Arsenal and finish fourth.
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“He [Son] and Kane showed again what we already knew – those two players can always dig them out of trouble, no matter what," Woodgate wrote in a column for BBC Sport.
“They have done it all season, and the last few years too, It’s not just up front where Spurs impressed me, though. In defence, I thought Cristian Romero was absolutely outstanding again. I just love the way Romero plays. He is always on the front foot and aggressive, which made a difference today with the two important tackles he went into – and won.
“That showed me how much he wanted it, but he’s a clever player too. He gets himself in good positions and is always there if someone makes a mistake. They are going to need more of the same in the next few weeks.”
Garth Crooks also hailed Romero’s display against Brendan Rodgers' side by including the Argentina international in his team of the week. The former Tottenham striker was particularly impressed with his role in Son’s first of the game.
“For Spurs' important second goal against Leicester, the Argentine defender's first tackle went through Patson Daka like a knife through butter while his second challenge left Caglar Soyuncu reeling on the ground without so much as an ounce of sympathy from referee Jon Moss," Crooks told the BBC.
“Both tackles by Romero were quite brilliant, totally legitimate and straight out of a 1980s coaching manual. The challenges resulted in Son getting his first goal. The South Korean needed no help at all with his second. Just when you thought the art of tackling was leaving the English game for good, Romero - with the help of Moss - gave us all hope.”
