Cristian Romero admits there was ‘a divide’ between Spurs players and Conte

Cristian Romero admitted there was a divide between the Tottenham squad and Antonio Conte last season, and remarked that he feels responsible for the side’s struggles during the second half of the campaign.

Romero’s performances last season left a lot to desired, with the centre-back particularly struggling after returning from Argentina’s victorious World Cup campaign.

The Lilywhites’ backline was extremely leaky during the second half of the campaign, and the club eventually finished in eighth place -their lowest league position since 2008.

Romero insisted that winning the World Cup did not impact his motivation to do well for Spurs but the 25-year-old did accept responsibility for some of the side’s struggles.

Cristian Romero opens up on divide at Tottenham

When asked about his showing after the tournament in Qatar, the centre-back told The Athletic: “Nothing changed with regard to my motivation. It was always the same. It was just that they were different circumstances. The group were somewhat separate from the staff. This is very difficult.

“My first match (after the World Cup) was against Aston Villa at home (on January 1). That’s where it all started. We won one game, then we’d lose two and when things are divided and not everyone is pulling in the same direction — coaches, players, not pulling in the same direction — it becomes very difficult, but I’m the first to take responsibility for the poor season we had.”

The defender also revealed that all was not well behind the scenes at Tottenham during Conte’s final few months at the club, remarking that the problems had seeped in before the club’s 6-1 defeat at St James’ Park.

When asked about the loss at Newcastle, he responded: “I think before (the 6-1 defeat) the group were already in a bad way and there was a divide between the players and the coach.

“In a competition like the Premier League, if you’re not all pulling in the same direction, it’s really tough and you saw that, not just against Newcastle but in the Liverpool game too. In the first 20 minutes, they put three past us. Against Manchester United, they were 2-0 up in the first half.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Conte has tended to eventually lose the dressing room during his second or third seasons at every club, and it is not surprising that the same thing transpired at Spurs. His extremely intense style and repetitive drills have a short shelf life as players quickly tire of it.