Tottenham Hotspur endured a defeat against Newcastle United at the weekend as Ange Postecoglou continued a tough start to his second season in charge of White Hart Lane. The Australian boss was forced to make a change in his starting eleven as Romanian centre-back slotted in at the heart of defence for Micky van de Ven.
While the spotlight followed the winter arrival, it was Argentine ace Cuti Romero who faced criticisms following the fixture at St. James Park.
Sturridge criticises Romero’s decision-making
Former Liverpool striker turned Sky Sports pundit, Daniel Sturridge, was left surprised by Romero’s decision-making, which he thinks contributed significantly to Harvey Barnes opener.
This occurred just before Robert Jones blew his halftime whistle as the Toons took the lead following a finely executed sequence with Barnes on the end of it. Sturridge believes that the set of play began when the Argentine aggressively pressed on after the corner clearance. As Romero beaked ahead, it played a domino effect at the back as Spurs had been caught with space in-behind, which Newcastle exploited optimally.
While the intention behind the press was to disrupt the hosts buildup, Sturridge acknowledged how Tino Livramento’s ability to exert control on the receiving end of the press and to find the former Leicester City winger in a dangerous position proved pivotal.
Sturridge blasts Romero for Spurs’ defeat to Newcastle
Speaking on the Sky Sports coverage, the ex-Liverpool striker said:
“He’s pressing like a madman, which I actually respect to be fair because the intention is good; trying to put pressure on the ball, he expects Livramento to play it back, [but] he’s got the ability to be able to manipulate it.”
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“And from there, as it develops, you see Harvey Barnes in the centre of the pitch, almost playing like a number 10, a fantastic cross into the box, and the finish man—got to give him respect for that fantastic finish first time.”
While the Lilywhites did push to net an equaliser, they went on to concede late as Swede summer target Alexander Isak netted the winner to take all three points from the fixture.
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With the international break upcoming, this gives the squad some space and breathing room to improve the problems as they prepare for the all-important North London Derby in a couple of weeks.
