Tottenham have lost seven of their opening 15 league games this season
They are now set to be without one of their key players for the next six weeks
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By SAM BROOKES
Published: 01:34 EST, 10 December 2024 | Updated: 01:34 EST, 10 December 2024
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou is set to be without one of his key players for the next six weeks, according to reports.
The pressure is building on Postecoglou heading into the busy Christmas period after his team suffered their seventh league defeat of the season against London rivals Chelsea on Sunday.
Spurs raced into a 2-0 lead, but were pegged back after a catalogue of errors and ended up losing 4-3, which leaves them just inside the bottom half.
Cristian Romero returned to the starting line-up for the game following a recent injury lay-off, but had to be replaced inside the opening 15 minutes after hurting himself while attempting a backheel flick inside his own penalty area.
Argentine journalist Gaston Edul has now revealed Romero suffered a fresh muscle problem, and is expected to be sidelined for around six weeks.
The 26-year-old is set to miss upcoming league matches against Liverpool and Newcastle, as well as next week's Carabao Cup quarter-final with Manchester United.
Ange Postecoglou is set to be without a key defender for the next six weeks
Cristian Romero went off injured on Sunday and is not expected to return until next month
Romero could not hide his disappointment after going off early against Chelsea
He is also due to face a race against time to be fit for Tottenham's north London derby at Arsenal on January 15.
Romero's centre back partner Micky van de Ven was also taken off in the loss to Chelsea, but Spurs are hopeful that he has avoided a serious injury.
Romero will be out for the rest of 2024, but he stopped to speak to a reporter after Sunday's defeat, and appeared to point the finger of blame at chairman Daniel Levy's lack of investment in the club for Tottenham's failure to kick on under Postecoglou this season.
Asked if Spurs were suffering over limited spending and a lack of depth, Romero told Telemundo Deportes: 'The truth is, I would say no comment, but...
'Manchester City competes every year, you see how Liverpool strengthens its squad, Chelsea strengthens their squad, doesn't do well, strengthens again, and now they're seeing results. Those are the things to imitate.
'You have to realise that something is going wrong, hopefully, they realise it.
'The last few years, it's always the same: first, the players, then the coaching staff changes, and it's always the same people responsible.
'Hopefully, they realise who the true responsible ones are, and we move forward because it's a beautiful club that, with the structure it has, could easily be competing for the title every year.'
Postecoglou fronted up to angry Tottenham fans after last week's 1-0 defeat at Bournemouth, with some seemingly turning on him.
Romero has pointed the figure of blame at Daniel Levy for Tottenham's struggles
But Romero is adamant the Australian is the right man to turn around Spurs' fortunes.
'He's a great coach. We saw it in the first season. In this second one we've suffered a lot of injuries,' Romero said.
'Players are the first one to be criticised, then if we lose 10 games, the staff can be changed, but nobody talks about what is actually happening.
'We are very happy with this staff, me and my colleagues. We love how they work and the football they try to play. We'll try to move on quickly.'