Cristian Romero has claimed that he has found the right club to continue developing his game in Tottenham Hotspur.
Just a year after arriving in the Premier League from Atalanta, Romero is already being talked about by some pundits as one of the best centre-backs in England (Sky Sports MNF).
Few have adapted to the intensity and pace of the Premier League as quickly as the Argentine but he admitted that he did find things quite hard at the beginning.
Romero said in an interview with radio station Como Te Va (as relayed by Infobae and Football London): “The English league is the best in the world. Adapting is not easy, it was hard for me, but I already feel good and trying to maintain my level.
“I live training sessions and matches in the same way. I like to play and train hard. The games and the experience have allowed me to know how to play when I have a yellow card. Last season I only had eight [Premier League] yellow cards and they didn’t send me off.”
When asked which central defenders he looks up to, Romero responded: “When I was a boy I used to watch Puyol and Pique’s Barcelona a lot. Today I watch van Dijk a lot.”
The 24-year-old also spoke about how keen he and his international teammates are to take the World Cup back to Argentina this year. The defender claimed that his experiences at Spurs have made him better equipped to handle the pressure of the tournament.
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He added: “I am very anxious and eager to be in Qatar. Surely I have many things to improve but I have two coaching staff, in the national team and in Tottenham that teach me a lot.
“I think I found the right club to continue developing after the Copa América and get to the World Cup in the best way. This group generated a beautiful illusion and we all want to win the cup. I speak with colleagues from Germany and Spain and they also want to win it. We have a winning spirit.”
Romero also touched on the fierce battles he has had with Richarlison while coming up against the Brazilian for both club and country.
The centre-back insisted that the pair had no troubles leaving their issues on the field behind them when the forward arrived from Everton in the summer.
When asked about sharing a dressing room with Richarlison, he responded: “With Richarlison they are things that are created in a game, on a court you have fights and they stay there. Now as a teammate we shoot to the same side.
“Later, if we face Argentina and Brazil and there are any kicks or words too many, they will also remain on the pitch.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Romero’s point about learning to play on a yellow card is quite insightful. The 24-year-old certainly needs to be able to tame his aggression and it sounds like he is slowly but surely learning to do that.
The challenge for Conte and his coaching staff would be in taming the aggression without blunting it as it is that no-nonsense, blood and thunder style that makes Romero a top-class defender.
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