Cristian Romero returned from a long-term injury against Bournemouth on Sunday
Tottenham battled to a 2-2 draw against Bournemouth at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Premier League on Sunday.
Ange Postecoglou’s side came back from two down to secure a point against the Cherries. They struggled to impose themselves again at home, going behind after Marcus Tavernier slammed home just before half time, before Evanilson doubled the lead in the second half.
A freak cross-turned-goal by Pape Matar Sarr in the 67th minute halved the deficit. Six minutes from time, Son Heung-min scored the equaliser from the penalty spot to earn Spurs a valuable point. The performance showed there’s still a lot of work to be done, but a point against a quality Bournemouth is not a bad result, especially coming from behind.
Cristian Romero returned for Tottenham against Bournemouth after almost three months on the sidelines. After last midweek’s Europa League game at AZ Alkmaar, Ange Postecoglou revealed he did not risk the defender due to the state of the pitch at the AFAS Stadium.
That meant the Argentinean star, who had made his return to the squad in the 1-0 defeat to AZ Alkmaar in the first leg of the Europa League last-16 tie after 86 days out, was expected to get some minutes under his belt in on Sunday, a necessary step ahead of the crucial return leg of their Europa League tie on Thursday evening.
Big Ange comes in support of Cristian Romero after his rusty performance vs Bournemouth
Cristian Romero was named in the starting XI against Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth. However, it was not a smooth comeback. A nervy opening saw him struggle with the ball at his feet, ceding possession in dangerous areas. One of his mistakes almost got punished, but Guglielmo Vicario came to the rescue and saved the 2022 World Cup winner’s blushes.
The 26-year-old was taken off in the 60th minute following his return to action for the first time since December. Of course, Romero looked rusty after not being available for Tottenham for so long. When asked about Romero’s performance and why he wouldn’t have been surprised with that, Postecoglou told Football London:
“Not surprised, he hasn’t played for a very long time. He’s hardly played this year to be fair. Cuti will be disappointed with that himself but at the same time what was much more important for me was how grew into his game, his defensive work, his aerial ability.
“I mean he was on the end of almost every cross they put into the box from corners and I think for him he will feel a lot better just having played. The idea was only to play 45 today, but he was keen to stay on for a bit longer and you could see he grew into the game and was really important for us.”
Does Guehi approach mean the end of Romero at Tottenham?
Cristian Romero made his return to action for Tottenham after almost three months on the sidelines
The Argentina international did not play for Tottenham since the 4-3 home defeat to Chelsea in the first week of December until the game on Sunday, having suffered a quad damage at the same time as Micky van de Ven’s hamstring injury. He has missed 27 games across all competitions for the North Londoners. In that time, Big Ange’s side have been eliminated from both the domestic cup competitions, while their Premier League form has barely improved.
Against the Cherries, it was evident Romero lacked sharpness and rhythm, particularly in the early stages, as some of his passing was either undercooked or wayward. However, it was good to see the South American grow into the game and complete 60 minutes before leaving the field unscathed.
Getting those minutes under his belt on Sunday was immensely invaluable. For both Romero and Big Ange, the priority now is making sure the club’s defensive lynchpin stays fit and gets back to his best.