Player Watch Player Watch: Cristian Romero

[Misfit]

He's a great player and makes us better over a season but his style and natural aggression (likely intrinsic to his game) will need to be mitigated against.

And if we want to truly challenge as a club that mitigation naturally comes in having a strong enough squad to do so anyway.

Meh.

 

[spurs9]

Romero card stats in his two longest club spells:
Tottenham: 76 apps, 25 yellows, 4 reds
Genoa: 60 apps, 26 yellows, 3 reds
total: 136 apps, 51 yellows, 7 reds

It’s not great reading but the worrying thing is he doesn’t seem to be learning or changing.

Lets compare Romero to 2-3 top CB’s of a similar age and quality at top4 rival teams:

Saliba:
Arsenal 55apps, 5 yellows, 0 reds
Marseille 52 apps, 7 yellows, 0 reds
St Etiene 36 apps, 2 yellows, 0 reds
Total: 143 apps, 14 yellows, 0 reds

Ruben Dias:
Man City 153 apps, 20 yellows, 0 reds

Heck even take VVD’s whole time at Liverpool! 237 apps, 17 yellows, 1 red

There are plenty of top quality CB’s who aren’t as much of a liability.

He’ll cost us too often and he needs to tone it down (which I hope he does as I love him as a player otherwise), otherwise personally I’d be looking to sell and buy another CB in the profile of VDV for RCB (and ofc improve our CB depth quality regardless with 1-2 new other CB signings.

You are showing your bias here.

You don't include Atalanta's games for Romero to keep the red card to game ratio up but do include all comps (since 2 Reds weren't in the league) yet don't include all comps for Saliba (he was sent off in a cup game), just the games league.

VVD, at the same age, had been sent off 5 times.

Yeah, he is more aggressive than those you have named, but some of those are the "Cat" style defenders who partner more aggressive style defenders.

 

[JerryGarcia]

The weird thing about Romero is that he’s usually the calmest player on the pitch… until he’s not. He’s possibly the best CB I’ve ever watched at playing those tight passes through the press into the midfield.

I can overlook reds picked up when the ball is there to be won but it’s the completely unnecessary ones that baffle me. Hopefully he’ll get wiser with age but I think we’ll just have to ride the tiger for now and hope he doesn’t bite us too often.

Anyway, he was class again today as always. We’re so much better with him in the team it’s like night and day!

 

[Caco]

Maybe I'm being cynical, but did he maybe know full well he'd be up for a 4 game ban if he got another straight red? Remember reading something about Maicon under Jose at Inter Milan, used to get suspensions coming up to Christmas to get an extended break. Had Romero been red carded yesterday he'd be on a plane to Buenos Aires this morning on holiday until January.

How Mourinho was forced into giving ex-Inter Milan star time off for Christmas

Ex-Inter Milan's Brazilian defender Maicon once got into a deal with manager Jose Mourinho to force him to get some time off during the Christmas holidays.

sportsbrief.com

 

[spurmin]

Such a brilliant player…just a bit brain dead…needless tackle but that’s what he does!

watch it again he slips.

 

[spurs mental]

Maybe I'm being cynical,

You're being cynical.

Hes just missed 3 games he wouldn't want to miss more. Especially as a vice captain

 

[Gassin's finest]

The weird thing about Romero is that he’s usually the calmest player on the pitch… until he’s not. He’s possibly the best CB I’ve ever watched at playing those tight passes through the press into the midfield.

I can overlook reds picked up when the ball is there to be won but it’s the completely unnecessary ones that baffle me. Hopefully he’ll get wiser with age but I think we’ll just have to ride the tiger for now and hope he doesn’t bite us too often.

Anyway, he was class again today as always. We’re so much better with him in the team it’s like night and day!

He reminds me of this Italian fella I play 7 a side with. Such a warm guy, is sure to talk to everyone and make them feel part of the group, always making sure the game is played fairly. Then he'll have one moment where he has a complete strop and storms off. Bizzare.

 

[Jenko]

Comparisons to Ramos are futile. Romero, this season, no Europe (where he would still get game time when suspended from league), no squad depth (so he is needed every game). He has to use his head. This game was won.

If he does silly things like that after the lesson he recently had, in a game that's already won? It does not bode well for his career at our club. I had thought he just needed to mature and adapt, but now I'm thinking he might not be able to. I love him but that's just not relevant, he has to change.

 

[teedee]

Ramos is a great comparison to Romero.

Ramos was in great team, so his learning curve was quicker. He couldnt afford to keep making same mistakes.
Romero is the big fish in our little pond and seems no big heads around can control or guide him.

So unlike Ramos, I dont see Romero learning from his mistakes.

Did Ramos learn. He was sent off 28 times in his career.

 

[0-Tibsy-0]

Such a good player - both on the ball and his defensive ability. Something that make him so effective in both areas is his proactive and aggressive approach to the game.

Try and curtail it and you don't get the same effectiveness. The main reason it is worrying is the lack of cover - If we have 3 top class CBs at the club then you can take the rough with the smooth more comfortably.

 

[Grey Fox]

Such a good player both on the ball and his defensive ability. Something that make him so effective in both areas is his proactive and aggressive approach to the game.

Try and curtail it and you don't get the same effectiveness. The main reason it is worrying is the lack of cover - If we have 3 top class CBs at the club then you can take the rough with the smooth more comfortably.

He's not effective when he gets suspended once again and picking his nose at home.

 

[Joshua shepherd]

You are showing your bias here.

You don't include Atalanta's games for Romero to keep the red card to game ratio up but do include all comps (since 2 Reds weren't in the league) yet don't include all comps for Saliba (he was sent off in a cup game), just the games league.

VVD, at the same age, had been sent off 5 times.

Yeah, he is more aggressive than those you have named, but some of those are the "Cat" style defenders who partner more aggressive style defenders.

Don’t let facts get in the way of a good old witch hunt. No doubt you’ll find messages from before the chelsea game saying that Romero’s taken on his new responsibilities as vice captain in his stride and that he’s changed this season.

The problem we have isn’t Romero, it’s the fact the 3rd choice cb is Davies. Get in a suitable back up/rotation option and we’ll be fine missing him for 6 games a season. It might even be the thing that changes him as he wouldn’t necessarily be guaranteed a start when he returned.

 

[TOLBINY]

watch it again he slips.

His left foot slips after his right foot has made initial contact with Wilson. It was an impetuous challenge, but he just cannot help himself at times. Nature of the beast. Glad that he is our 'beast'.

 

[0-Tibsy-0]

He's not effective when he gets suspended once again and picking his nose at home.

Obviously.

But what exacerbates this is that we don't have any decent quality depth. Have some replacement CBs and Romero can play his natural game - if he misses a couple of games, and we have a decent back up, but is at his absolute most effective for the other 85% of the season then fine.

Look at some 'rivals' around us:
Arsenal: White, Saliba, Timber, Gabriel, Tomiyasu
Utd: Martines, Varane, Lindelof, Maguire
Liverpool: VVD, Gomez, Konate, Matip
Villa: Pau Torres, Konsa, Mings, Carlos, Lenglet
City: Akanji, Ake, Dias, Gvardiol, Stones

If we had an adequate squad then we wouldn't have to worry about Romero playing his natural game.

 

[DiVaio]

You are showing your bias here.

You don't include Atalanta's games for Romero to keep the red card to game ratio up but do include all comps (since 2 Reds weren't in the league) yet don't include all comps for Saliba (he was sent off in a cup game), just the games league.

VVD, at the same age, had been sent off 5 times.

Yeah, he is more aggressive than those you have named, but some of those are the "Cat" style defenders who partner more aggressive style defenders.

Worth to add that the direct red card for Romero he got at Genoa wasn't for any reckless challenge just DOGSO.

 

[Japhet]

Very uncomfortable watching him do stuff like this with the options we have when he inevitably picks up another ban. We could so easily be without him for another 4 games this morning. Roll on January when we should chuck everything at getting some decent cover at CB, because let's face it, Romero learned nothing from the red card v Chelsea and how it affected the whole team.

 

[spurmin]

His left foot slips after his right foot has made initial contact with Wilson. It was an impetuous challenge, but he just cannot help himself at times. Nature of the beast. Glad that he is our 'beast'.

Which makes it look a lot worse than it actually was imo. If he had stayed on his feet and not slipped, much like Trippier’s tackle on Deki a little while after, no one would have batted an eyelid.
Yellow card move on. People buy into the Gary Neville Oooooh that’s not good rubbish.
Far worse tackles every week.

 

[IfiHadTheWings]

Ramos is a great comparison to Romero.

Ramos was in great team, so his learning curve was quicker. He couldnt afford to keep making same mistakes.
Romero is the big fish in our little pond and seems no big heads around can control or guide him.

So unlike Ramos, I dont see Romero learning from his mistakes.

The point is Ramos didn't learn, that was a part of him and still is.

the trade off is whether when he does play is he a difference maker, Ramos was and i'd argue Romero is too.

 

[Oscar22]

After the last few pages, I agree with all of you, we should definitely sign Sergio Ramos.

** wonders if skim reading threads is doing more harm than good**

 

[philll]

In line with what Warnock said, I don't understand Gallagher's point here at all. I thought they'd send him off as it happened, live and then with each replay I was more and more sure. Cuti has absolutely got away with one there.