Clinton Morrison thinks Micky Van de Ven’s arrival at Tottenham Hotspur has brought the best out of Cristian Romero.
Romero was one of many Tottenham players who struggled to showcase his best form last season, with the Argentine being guilty of some poor errors, particularly in the second half of the campaign.
However, in the first eight games of this season, the 25-year-old has looked more like the player we see in an Argentina shirt.
The former Juventus man appears to be playing with much more responsibility, now that he has emerged as the leader of Spurs’ young backline and has been handed the vice-captaincy.
Morrison insisted that while Romero’s quality as a defender was never really in doubt, he now appears to have shed his tendency to be reckless.
LUTON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 07: Micky van de Ven of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates after scoring the team’s first goal during the Premier League match between Luton Town and Tottenham Hotspur at Kenilworth Road on October 07, 2023 in Luton, England. (Photo by Henry Browne/Getty Images)
Is Van de Ven one of the signings of the summer?
The former Crystal Palace striker put that change down to the arrival of Van de Ven, waxing lyrical about Tottenham’s centre-back pairing.
The pundit told Sky Sports: “Van de Ven has made Romero a better player, he’s not losing his head as much. He’s younger than him. He can cover the ground. The young lad can cover the ground, he scored the winner against Luton.
“I think the combination play between the two of them [Romero and Van de Ven] is really good. Romero’s aggressive, he can defend. We know he’s a good defender but sometimes he loses his head and gets a yellow card then makes another silly tackle and gets a red card.
“He’s so important to that team at the moment and Van de Ven could be one of the signings of the summer. He’s been outstanding. He’s big, he’s aggressive, he’s comfortable in possession and that’s down to the manager, Postecoglou.”
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Conte failed to get Romero’s to channelise his aggression appropriately but that is something Postecoglou seems to have succeeded at by making the Argentine the part of the new leadership group.
It is now evident from Romero’s body language that he is much more invested in this team as he feels a sense of ownership as one of the senior heads that youngsters look up to.
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