Jonathan Woodgate has admitted that he is a fan of Cristian Romero and backed the Argentine to turn into a top central defender under the guidance of Antonio Conte.
Romero has had a promising start to his Spurs career since his move from Atalanta over the summer.
Even though the 23-year-old has been guilty of some unforced errors since returning from injury, he seems to be developing a better understanding with Eric Dier as the pair play more together.
Woodgate praised the way that Romero always looks to defend on the front foot rather than sitting off opposition forwards.
The former Tottenham centre-back told Genting Bet about Romero (as relayed by The Daily Mirror): “I know he’s still only young, 23 years old, Argentinian international. I like when he tries to defend on the front foot.
“He’s aggressive, he wants to try and win the ball when he goes up to the striker, and that’s what I like my defence to do. I don’t like defenders who sit off, I want them to be aggressive.
“That’s what I like about him. He’s only going to get better with a manager of Conte’s standards. A manager who’s worked with Bonucci, Chiellini, these are top players we’re talking about, and I’m sure he’s going to learn even more from Conte. I do like him.”
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Even though Tottenham’s results have been inconsistent over recent weeks, Conte seems to now have a more settled starting eleven after the additions of Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur in January.
Woodgate suggested that Spurs’ back three is also looking a lot more balanced as they get used to Conte’s system and playing with one another.
When asked if Conte has now settled on his best team, the former Middlesborough head coach said: “These players are Premier League players at the end of the day, and Antonio Conte’s come in and he’s tried to find his best team. It took him a bit of time like it does with any manager.
“And because of the inconsistent performances, he’s probably thinking (about certain players) one week he could be very good, the next week he’s not so good, what do I do?
“He’s had to try and find time to find that consistency, and it hasn’t been easy. But I wouldn’t say that shuffling the pack has contributed.
“Losing Romero and Dier through injury have been a factor, and that’s not down to him shuffling the pack, that’s down to them being injured.
“I think when they play Dier and Romero, they look stronger, and they have Davies on the left side to bring that balance, they do look stronger in that area.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Romero is young for a central defender and is continuing to get used to the intensity and pace of the Premier League. So, Spurs fans can certainly expect him to get better over the next couple of years. He has a lot of room for improvement as far as his decision making is concerned.
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