Ben Dinnery of Premier Injuries, who is well known for his knowledge in medical science, believes Tottenham Hotspur took the right decision by not playing Cristian Romero in their match against Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend.
Romero picked up an adductor muscle injury during the 2-2 draw against Chelsea, and a period on the sidelines of three to four weeks was originally predicted, even though the defender wanted to play through the issue and make himself available (Football.London).
Conte instead decided to name Davinson Sanchez, who put in a great display and was among the best performers for his side against Bruno Lage’s team. The North London outfit won the game 1-0 on the day, which reinforced the Italian boss’ decision even further.
Romero also had to deal with his fair share of injury troubles in the previous campaign at Tottenham, which saw him miss about 22 matches for the club across all competitions (Transfermarkt).
Dinnery has lauded Conte’s decision not to play Romero for several reasons, adding that the Argentine centre-half was rightfully not risked when more congested fixtures are set to come in the future.
Dinnery also expressed that Conte has managed the squad well by keeping Sanchez happy, which may not have been the case had an injured Romero been picked ahead of him.
Speaking to Football Insider, Dinnery said: “When you’re talking about return-to-play strategies, there are a lot of influencing factors that you need to consider. First and foremost, there is the player himself.
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“Also, there is the fixture run that Spurs have to come. Do you want to be risking a player unnecessarily? Do you keep a player out for a game or possibly two? Or, do you take the chance and run the risk of putting him out for up to six weeks?
“When Romero transitioned into that Spurs team, he picked up a couple of long-ish muscle problems. You don’t need to take any chances. When you look at the wider squad, you have the likes of Davinson Sanchez waiting in the wings.
“He will be asking what he needs to do if he can’t get in the starting XI when this player isn’t 100 per cent fit. So, there is a little bit of squad management there and it makes sense.
“They are easy decisions to make for the manager. You are managing the individual and you are also keeping the rest of the squad happy.”
Spurs Web Opinion:
Sanchez has proven time and time again that he can be depended upon regularly to deputise for Romero when required. Hence, Conte has several reasons to keep choosing Sanchez ahead of Romero for the time being.
The latter may be disappointed with this stance, but this decision could help him in the long term, particularly with the World Cup coming up later this year.
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