According to Ange Postecoglou, Cristian Romero has stepped up in the absence of Heung-min Son of late and is proving to be a real leader around the Tottenham Hotspur dressing room.
It was no surprise that Postecoglou named Heung-min Son as club captain upon his arrival at Tottenham. With Hugo Lloris out of the club’s plans, and Harry Kane moving on to Bayern Munich, the South Korean was the obvious choice.
However, there were some who were surprised by Postecoglou’s decision to name Cristian Romero as one of the vice-captains, alongside James Maddison.
Romero’s talent has always been unquestionable, but his disciplinary record and perceived inability to keep a level head at times did put his leadership qualities under scrutiny.
Despite this, Romero has proven to be a strong presence in the leadership group, and has done an exceptional job when called upon to take up the armband. Be it during a game when Son is substituted, or from the start, like he did against Manchester United, Romero has dealt with the added responsibility admirably.
Postecoglou pleased with Romero’s leadership
Speaking to Football.London ahead of this weekend’s clash with Manchester City, Postecoglou has heaped praise on Romero for the way he has stepped up while Son is away on international duty at the Asia Cup.
He said: “I can see that in training he’s a lot more vocal than he was in the past. That’s the beauty of it. There is a void because you’re missing one of your leaders, but for me, on the outside, you’re kind of waiting on, ‘is anyone going to step up here? Because we’re going to need someone to, or do I need to interject myself into it’, but he’s stepped up.”
Postecoglou also took a moment to speak highly of Guglielmo Vicario, too, adding: “There’s been others too, Vic in goal, he’s stepped up. There’s a really good feeling amongst the group at the moment over where they’re at.
“They understand that because of what we’ve been through. ‘OK, somebody’s missing, man down, but somebody fills that void and we keep going until they come back’. I think it’s been good for the growth of the team.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Fair play to Romero, he’s proven a lot of people wrong this year by keeping his composure (most of the time) and being an excellent figure of authority within the squad.