Tottenham Hotspur supporters had not seen their defenders netting twice in one Premier League game since Jan Vertonghen did it in 2013.
While twelve years is a very long time for any club record to remain, there was one which quietly survived from 2013 all the way into this season. Tottenham Hotspur supporters had not seen their defenders scoring two goals in one Premier League game since Jan Vertonghen did it back in 2013.
VDV & Romero see off Vertonghen record from 2013
Micky van de Ven got the better of that record earlier this season when he netted a brace in October. And while many thought that it was again a once-in-a-generation moment, only weeks later we saw the Dutchman’s partner in crime, Cristian Romero, matching that feat with his two-goal haul yesterday that earned Thomas Frank‘s side a 2-2 draw at Newcastle United.
For the first goal we saw Romero attacking the near post like a traditional #9 as he glanced at Kudus’ low cross into the bottom corner to make it 1-1. And then as we went deep into stoppage time, the Argentine pulled out an overhead kick from the edge of the box that ended up going through a crowd of players and into Ramsdale’s net to make it 2-2.
In a season where we have watched a lot of questions being raised around the offensive sequences under the system that Thomas Frank has deployed at N17, it is the centre-back duo that continues to rewrite the history books. With that 12-year Tottenham record being revised twice, it shows plenty about where this team’s threat (and in a sense problems) lies.
TTLB Opinion
Many Tottenham supporters will be proud of the character that we have seen from van de Ven and Romero. We have seen both of them step up in big moments, and both of them have embraced that sense of responsibility. But when you see a twelve-year record for defender braces get shattered twice before Christmas, it points towards a sense of offensive warning.
When Frank took over the proceedings from Ange Postecoglou back in summer, the Danish head coach took out a roster that was filled with serious attacking talent, and then he went on to add more poise to it. But yet we are seeing the centre-backs dragging games back from the brink.
While it is a sense of a once-in-a-decade moment, what do you make of the Tottenham CB duo scoring a brace this season, and how does it point towards the offensive problems at Hotspur Way? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
