Barring Brighton & Hove Albion, every Premier League outfit in European competition soared into the quarter-finals of their respective competitions this week, be that the Champions League, Europa League or Europa Conference League.
That’s five sides involved in the latter stage, but not Tottenham Hotspur. No, Spurs’ football this season has been constrained by last year’s struggles, with an eighth-placed Premier League finish keeping the squad on domestic soil for Ange Postecoglou’s first campaign in the dugout.
Tottenham want that success, that feeling of jubilation, that frisson of excitement that only competing under the European lights gives, and despite some bumps in the road, there’s every chance that Postecoglou is on the cusp of completing an impressive resurgence.
Indeed, the fifth-placed side can thank their domestic rivals for their efforts overseas, for it’s most probable that the English will pip Germany for a nation’s coefficient spot, handing the Premier League a fifth spot in the inaugural revamped Champions League next year.
Regardless, last weekend Spurs defeated Aston Villa, who are fourth, and now trail by just two points with a game in hand. Postecoglou’s system has worked a treat, with his transfer additions proving instrumental in the rebirth.
Who Postecoglou’s best signing has been
Having fallen by the wayside last season, it was imperative that chairman Daniel Levy made the right appointment last summer and Postecoglou certainly looks like the perfect fit.
An entertaining and effective style of play has been enabled through precise purchases, with none more influential thus far than Mick van de Ven in defence and James Maddison in the star playmaker’s role.
The latter, signed from Leicester City for £40m last summer, secured the Premier League’s Player of the Month award for August after assisting twice on his debut against Brentford, performing well in a 2-0 victory over Manchester United before stroking home his first goal against Bournemouth.
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James Maddison: PL 23/24 Stats for August |
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|---|---|
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Stat |
# |
|
Matches played |
3 |
|
Goals |
1 |
|
Assists |
2 |
|
Key passes |
9 |
|
Pass completion |
87% |
|
Ground duels won |
15/29 |
|
Tackles |
3 |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
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Described as a “nightmare for defenders” by The Times’ Henry Winter for his blistering early performances in a Tottenham shirt, Maddison suffered an ankle injury against Chelsea in November that sent his side’s season into a spin, with Van de Ven hamstrung too.
Van de Ven has been utterly breathtaking and his athletic defending looks to have ended the issues of the 2022/23 campaign emphatically, where shoddy efforts in the rearguard stopped Tottenham from mounting form impressive enough to secure a spot in the Champions League – or indeed in European competition at all.
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Both are fit and firing once again now, but while Maddison is easily Tottenham’s elite playmaker, Van de Ven might not yet have the crown as the London club’s prized defender.
That sits with Cristian Romero, who might just be Tottenham’s most important player.
Cristian Romero’s season in numbers
Spurs’ inpour of talented players has been brilliant. A refreshing wave of proactive potential that could finally, just maybe, mark the dawn of a new era built for silverware, or competing for it at the least.
But while Maddison is a remarkable attacking player, Heung-min Son – who has 22 goals and assists this season – is the real locus of Tottenham’s frontline. While Van de Ven has restored the defence, Romero’s level-up to his current level is the true measure of the outfit’s defensive strength.
Signed from Serie A side Atalanta under Nuno Espirito Santo back in 2021 for a fee in the region of £43m, Romero has chalked up 87 appearances for Tottenham, with his displays in the Premier League this season truly something to behold.
As per Sofascore, the Argentina international has posted four goals from 22 matches in the top flight this season, keeping six clean sheets, completing 92% of his passes, averaging 1.4 interceptions, 2.0 tackles, 6.0 ball recoveries and 3.1 clearances per game while also winning 72% of his ground duels.
For comparison, Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk has won 65% of the ground duels he has faced in the Premier League this season, while William Saliba has come out on top in 58% for Arsenal.
Still, Romero’s campaign has not been without its hiccups, notably getting sent off against Chelsea in the same fixture that saw Maddison and Van de Ven felled by injury and handed the Blues a 4-1 victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
This dismal day led pundit Andy Townsend to claim that Romero “is capable of ruining a season“, with his hot-headedness, if not controlled, somewhat nullifying the glowing traits of his defensive make-up.
Why Cristian Romero is Spurs’ best defender
Regardless, Romero is one of the Premier League’s best centre-halves and he has recently attracted interest from Real Madrid, according to Spanish sources, who are preparing a marquee summer venture to snap the 25-year-old up.
Moreover, with Romero actually more valuable than Maddison at present, as claimed by CIES Football Observatory’s player valuation model, it’s clear that he might just be the real centrepiece of Postecoglou’s side.
As per FBref, Romero ranks among the top 3% of centre-backs across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 16% for shot-creating actions, the top 11% for pass completion, the top 13% for progressive passes, the top 7% for tackles, the top 11% for interceptions and the top 11% for blocks per 90.
His skill set encompasses the ambit of a defender’s expected ability, or in other words, he is effective across many different levels, blending his aggressiveness and technicality with a hunger for goals.
His displays have been most pleasing for Tottenham and it’s no surprise that the 2022 World Cup winner has received high praise from countryman Lionel Messi, who labelled him “the best defender in the world” after his recent international escapades.
His rash streak, that flash of red, is something that will never leave Romero, it makes him the defender he is. While his aggression might have had a chance of ‘ruining’ Spurs’ season before, he’s comfortably the star man now and his performances over the coming weeks will be crucial toward deciding the club’s fate in the Premier League.
It all went wrong at Tottenham last season, the finest attributes of stars like Son and Romero stored away in some recess of the side’s system, since found and brought to the fore by Postecoglou.
The new signings have been tremendous, they really have. But Son is still Tottenham’s main man in defence and Romero, while flawed, is a mesmerising defender, one of the very best.
