Tottenham defender Kevin Danso is confident of replacing Cristian Romero in the first XI against AS Monaco in the Champions League
Tottenham Hotspur shift their focus to the Champions League as they travel to France to face AS Monaco on Wednesday evening.
Thomas Frank has a lot to answer to the fans after Spurs lost 2-1 to Aston Villa at home in the Premier League on Sunday. The north Londoners suffered a big blow before the Aston Villa game when skipper Cristian Romero pulled out of the warm up with an adductor strain. The central defender and Destiny Udogie were not spotted in training on Tuesday, and Thomas Frank later confirmed in his pre-match presser that Romero will not be a part of the travelling squad due to injury.
Kevin Danso filled in for the injured Romero and partnered Micky van de Ven at the back against Aston Villa. He impressed the gaffer and will take up a similar role on Wednesday when Spurs take on AS Monaco in a mouthwatering contest.
Kevin Danso ready to step up against AS Monaco
Signed on a permanent transfer from RC Lens at the start of June after initially arriving on loan during the winter transfer window, Kevin Danso has primarily acted as a back-up to Romero and Van de Ven this season. This is not the first time the Austrian will deputise for the injured Romero in Tottenham’s defence.
When the Argentinean was unavailable for Spurs’ previous Champions League fixture against Bodo/Glimt, Danso was handed a start. He was a part of the backline that drew 2-2 with Bodo/Glimt in Norway. Undoubtedly, it is a tall order to try and compensate for the 2022 World Cup winner, but the 26-year-old backs himself.
When asked in the press conference what it takes to replace Romero in the first XI, Danso said:
“Definitely, but also just try to fulfil the role as best as I can. Obviously, he’s a very important player for us. For me, it’s just doing the job, defending first and foremost and try to replace him in that instance as best as I can.
“I think it was an okay game (on Sunday), unfortunately we didn’t get the result we wanted, but the aim is to win here tomorrow.”
Danso must prove himself vs Monaco
Romero is Tottenham’s best defender, leader and organiser of the backline, and any game he misses is a blow to Frank’s side. Not only with his aggressive, front-footed defending, but also the Argentinean influences the games from deep with his quality on the ball. So, all eyes will be on Danso filling in for the injured Cordoba-born star.
As the timeline for Romero’s adductor strain is unknown still, there is chance for Danso to get a run of games now in the first XI. The Austrian international would not get a better opportunity to impress Frank and give him a selection headache when Romero recovers from his injury. The onus will be on him and Van de Ven to marshal the troops from the back and keep things tight against Monaco.
