Parting ways with Antonio Conte in favour of appointing Ange Postecoglou may prove to be one of the best decisions of Daniel Levy's tenure as the chairman of Tottenham Hotspur.
The former Celtic boss has hit the ground running in style, with the Lilywhites unbeaten after four Premier League games, having won three and drawn one. Spurs' most impressive moment so far has been their victory over Manchester United – the 2-0 win was unexpectedly comfortable for the Lilywhites, who took control exactly as Ange's aggressive and front-foot style of play demands.
Whilst most of Spurs' good moments have come through their attack this season, too, their backline has been much-improved. And that's partly down to one particular standout player, who may not have even stayed at the club had Conte still been around, according to Michael Bridge.
What did Michael Bridge say?
Speaking about the North London club on the Last Word on Spurs podcast, Bridge suggested that Conte failed to ever really click with a key part of the Lilywhites' defence, which could have eventually led to an exit.
The man in question that the Sky Sports reporter named is Cristian Romero. Bridge revealed that if Levy hadn't sacked Conte, then the star defender may have left the club.
Bridge said: "With Romero, I got told by a very good source that if Conte would’ve stayed, Romero would’ve left. It’s irrelevant now, but I don’t think them two really clicked at all."
Months later, and with Spurs flying under Postecoglou, fans will be breathing a sigh of relief that it was Conte who departed and not Romero in the summer transfer window. If they lost arguably their best defender alongside club-record goalscorer Harry Kane in the same window, then Spurs would have had themselves an impossible uphill battle this season.
How has Romero performed this season?
With no Conte to worry about, Romero has been comfortably back to his best for Spurs so far this season, and deserves a fair amount of credit for the start that the North London side have made.
Statistically speaking, the Argentine has even outperformed Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk – often regarded as the league's top centre-back – in certain aspects so far this season, as per FBref.
Player
Progressive Passes
Pass Completion Rate
Blocks
Tackles Won
Cristian Romero
11
91.8%
9
8
Virgil van Dijk
2
89.7%
2
1
As proved by the numbers, Romero is currently operating at the top level, and one that even Van Dijk hasn't been able to match this season – the World Cup winner has earned plenty of praise when at his best, too, including from Lionel Messi.
Messi recently praised his Argentina teammate after they defeated Ecuador, saying, via TalkSport: "For me, he is the best defender in the world right now. Amazing performance tonight, man of the match.”
It's certainly high praise for the Spurs defender, but he has more than earned it with his displays so far this season. From Postecoglou's perspective, he'll just hope to see Romero's form continue after the international break, when his side could take further strides towards returning to the Champions League.
