Gary Neville was critical of Cristian Romero in Tottenham’s defeat to Arsenal
After a solid yet spectacular summer transfer window that saw five new faces arrive at the club, Tottenham Hotspur fans would have had high hopes coming into the new campaign in August but they’ve been quickly dashed.
With the Lilywhites losing 1-0 to arch-rivals Arsenal at home on Sunday, it means that Ange Postecoglou and Co. have only managed to win one game across four games so far this season—a poor record given the quality of the side.
Arsenal literally had two stars in Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard absent from the game, yet they managed to find a way and exploit Tottenham’s vulnerability of defending set-pieces. It was typical of how Spurs conceded the goal, with Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes making a giant leap and powering his header into the back of the net from a Bukayo Saka corner.
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Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville lambasted Cristian Romero due to his lack of awareness in the box while defending the Arsenal goal from a corner kick. Speaking on the Gary Neville podcast along with reputed commentator Peter Drury on Sky Sports, he said:
“The goalkeeper’s rooted. He heads it three yards out, he’s free, and Romero, the centre-back, is picking up Gabriel.
“It’s really poor from the Argentinian, but I’d want my goalkeeper to come for it. He gets blocked and then he ends up rooted.”
Tottenham would have been extremely unhappy with how they defended as a unit during Arsenal’s set-piece goal, especially with defender Cristian Romero and goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario not doing their jobs. Vicario should have taken responsibility by coming off his line and punching the ball away, while Romero never tried to jump to put off Gabriel.
The Argentinean defender, in particular, was easily put off by Gabriel when the Arsenal defender appeared to slightly push him with both hands before powering the ball past Vicario. It was extremely soft and atypical defending from Romero, who is often lauded for his aggressive, tough and no-nonsense style of play. He was lost when defending the corner routine and it felt like the World Cup winner had no idea Gabriel was lurking behind him.
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It was extremely naïve from Romero and his teammate, once again highlighting Tottenham’s vulnerabilities from set-plays. It is high time Big Ange and his coaching staff address some of our team’s most glaring deficiencies if Spurs are to improve as a unit.