132 touches, 117 passes: Spurs star showed he is undroppable with incredible display
Tottenham Hotspur defeated Crystal Palace 3-1 on Saturday, advancing further in their quest for Champions League football.
Ange Postecoglou’s team needed this victory, especially after suffering a 2-1 home loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers the previous Saturday.
Eberechi Eze gave the visitors the lead at the hour, making it look like Spurs might lose their next two games at home, but they showed resilience and faith to win three points.
However, one person stood out above the rest and once again demonstrated their undroppability.
With Micky van de Ven and under the Australian coach this season, Cristian Romero has been a rock at the center of Spurs’ defense.
This season, the “incredible” Argentine has made 21 Premier League starts, demonstrating his wide skill set and ability to impact the game from both penalty boxes, according to journalist Alasdair Gold.
Romero has dominated both on and off the ball throughout the season, as evidenced by some of his major stats from below. He has scored four goals and kept five clean sheets.
This past weekend, he put on maybe his greatest performance while wearing a Spurs shirt of the season, showcasing all of that.
| Romero’s Key Premier League Stats | |
|---|---|
| Stats (per game) | Romero |
| Touches | 89.1 |
| Pass accuracy | 92% |
| Interceptions | 1.3 |
| Tackles | 2.0 |
| Duels won | 5.1 |
| Stats via Sofascore | |
Despite falling behind, Spurs were outstanding from the opening whistle to the very end. Their 78% possession rate, coupled with the fact that Palace managed just four shots during the entire game and an xG of 0.32, demonstrate their domination.
Romero had no defensive assignments other than to deal with set pieces and long balls into the striker, which is why he had no tackles, clearances, or blocks.
But the 25-year-old showed off his ball-moving and game-controlling skills, which were crucial in helping Spurs overcome their deficit.
| Romero vs Palace | |
|---|---|
| Stats | Romero |
| Goals | 1 |
| Touches | 132 |
| Passes (Accuracy) | 117 (93%) |
| Passes into final third | 15 |
| Shots on target | 2 |
| Stats via FotMob | |
Romero demonstrated his value to the team during the build-up by taking a massive 132 touches, making 117 passes, and displaying the bravery and technical security to shoot the ball into the final third 15 times.
Despite having such a high number, his pass accuracy was as high as 93%, but his threat in the closing third is what really cemented him as a very complete defense.
The World Cup champion also scored the crucial goal to put Tottenham ahead after Timo Werner equalized in the 77th minute. He displayed striker-like movement to head in a header from a looping James Maddison cross.
Even without the goal, Romero’s performance as Spurs’ center-half was flawless overall, solidifying his position as one of the team’s most vital members under Postecoglou.
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