Thomas Frank provides Cristian Romero update after pre-match blow vs Aston Villa
Thomas Frank was given an injury scare even before Tottenham had kicked off their match against Aston Villa in north London.
Morgan Rogers scored a stunning goal as Tottenham lost 2-1 to Aston Villa as Frank’s side slipped out of the European places in the Premier League table.
Defender Cristian Romero had to be replaced in the starting XI after Spurs‘ warm up, with Kevin Danso replacing the Argentine to partner Micky van de Ven.
Romero signed a new Spurs contract and was handed the club captaincy after Heung-min Son joined Los Angeles FC in the MLS in the summer to reflect his importance at the club.
Thomas Frank issues Cristian Romero update
After the match concluded, Frank gave Spurs supporters an update on Romero.
“Minor abductor injury. He felt a little bit the past few days. We expected him to be fine but he wasn’t. I don’t think it is too big,” Frank said.
The news will come as a relief to Spurs supporters, with the next game against Monaco in the Champions League just days away.
Romero importance analysed
Frank had never beaten Unai Emery as a manager whilst at Brentford and that record has continued at Spurs.
Romero had played 90 minutes in every Premier League match until Aston Villa, with the 27-year-old a key part of Spurs’ back four having built up a fine partnership with van de Ven.
| Minutes Played | 630 |
| Successful Tackles per 90 | 0.86 |
| Clearances per 90 | 3.57 |
| Headed Clearances per 90 | 2.14 |
| Interceptions per 90 | 1.57 |
Under Frank, Spurs are becoming more pragmatic and a tougher team to beat, but Romero’s importance remains the same.