Cristian Romero red card: Tottenham captain’s week ends in ‘perfect storm’

Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario also defended his teammate on TNT Sports.

“He is our leader and today he made a mistake,” he said. “But we know the player he is.

He added: “He will definitely come back stronger, and will help us throughout the rest of the season.”

But Match of the Day pundit, Danny Murphy, was clear that Romero had “let his team-mates down,” adding: “It is irresponsible, especially after a week in which he spoke about recruitment and the lack of players.”

“He’s the leader, the leader, and he’s got to do better.”

Murphy wasn’t the only critic to criticize Romero.

“You know he’s got that switch,” Joe Hart, who played for Tottenham among others, told TNT Sports. “He doesn’t need to do this. It just breaks him.”

“Is he a good leader? I don’t know. It must be something we don’t see because Thomas Frank seems to stand by him no matter what.”

Owen Hargreaves, the former Manchester United midfielder, was similarly unimpressed.

“When he looks back on it, he will think, ‘Why did you do that?'” he said.

“He’s the leader of the club. He should be a role model – but that’s not the example he should be setting.”

Frank has made it clear that Romero will still be captain when he returns for the Liverpool clash, which will split two Champions League last-16 ties, when Juventus and Atletico Madrid are two of the four opponents who could meet.

In the meantime, he must hope for more balance as Romero’s sacking has led to another defeat. With local rivals West Ham starting to pick up points, the specter of relegation has become too close for comfort.