Although it was not the finest overall performance from Tottenham Hotspur and they needed more heroics from Cristian Romero to save the day, this was a significantly better outing from the disaster this past weekend against Fulham. Instead of losing 2-1, Spurs did enough to grind out a last second 2-2 draw against a more talented side in Newcastle, with Romero sinking the Magpies via two braces, including a late bicycle kick.
Romero was the clear standout of the match, as the Spurs captain and star center back once again proved why he is one of the best players in the entire Premier League regardless of position. And even though most fans know his name by now, it still feels like Romero is underrated.
But the true underrated Spurs player is Kevin Danso, who was Romero's astute center back partner on the night with Micky van de Ven on some surprising load management restriction imposed by the overly cautious Thomas Frank.
Kevin Danso is in Cristian Romero's shadow
Well, Danso stepped in and after absorbing criticism from many fans for his lack of ball playing ability, the ex Lens man delivered a quietly outstanding performance against Nick Woltemade and Newcastle. Although Spurs surrendered two more goals, that was mostly down to Frank's horrid tactics and a cavernous midfield set up that had Danso and Romero facing an onslaught.
Just as Romero saved a goal with a timely tackle, Danso cleared the ball off the line to spare Tottenham from losing 4-2 on the night. He was no nonsense in his approach overall, clearing a total of 11 balls to more than double anyone else on Tottenham. Plus, Danso put his body on the line to directly block two shots.
It was another strong defensive performance from Danso, who was specifically bought to be a solid third center back who could step in for either superstar player at a moment's notice and deliver a clean defensive performance without a fuss in a game against any caliber of opponent. And that's exactly what the big, friendly Austrian did at the back for Spurs on Tuesday night.
Danso honestly deserves more appreciation than he gets, including from his own Tottenham fan base. So many people are focused on what he isn't, and what he isn't is a player like Micky van de Ven or Cristian Romero. But how many of those guys are walking around out there? Instead, Danso needs to be appreciated for who he is, and he is a very solid central defender, as he reminded fans this week.