How Cristian Romero fared in his return to Tottenham lineup vs Brighton
By Gary Pearson
What Romero needs to work on
Brighton had a number of good chances to score, which Romero will be unpleased about. Centre backs always evaluate their own performances based on how many chances they limit the opposition to.
There were a few occasions where there was too much space between Harry Winks, Pierre Hojbjerg and Romero, allowing Brighton to find pockets of space in dangerous territory. Finding the perfect time to commit is a fine art for centre backs, whose margin of error is usually miniscule.
Romero could have committed sooner on a number of occasions, instead sitting back and allowing Brighton shots from dangerous areas. A few of those occasions, though, arose when Winks lost his mark or didn’t effectively track back. Regardless, Romero’s decision making was ever-so-slightly laggard, a common side effect after returning from a lengthy injury layoff.
Overall, though, Romero looked solid and will provide the club, alongside Dier and Davies, the defensive stability Conte’s side will need to qualify for the 2022-2023 Champions League. It’s crucial he stays healthy.