Ange Postecoglou insists Cristian Romero has wrong to criticise Tottenham’s board over a perceived lack of investment but sympathises with his ’emotional’ outburst.
The Spurs boss also revealed that Romero has tried to soothe tensions by apologising for his comments following their 4-3 defeat by Chelsea on Sunday.
Romero gave an interview claiming ‘something is going wrong’ when discussing how much Tottenham spend on players, claiming they should ‘imitate’ Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea.
Spurs actually had the fifth-highest net spend in the Premier League this summer with -£83.1m. Manchester United were the only ‘Big Six’ club with a higher net spend. Over a five-year period, their net spend is the fourth-biggest on £-458.8m, a figure exceeded only by Chelsea, United, and Arsenal.
Tottenham have won just one in seven and, in the interview, Romero, who is reportedly out injured for about six weeks, was defending Postecoglou by suggesting that changing the manager is not always the solution after several years of hiring and firing.
‘I think in the context of the day Cristian was really disappointed, obviously,’ said Postecoglou.
Ange Postecoglou says Cristian Romero has apologised for criticising Tottenham’s board
He insisted that Romero was wrong for his comments but understood he was ’emotional’
Romero had hit out at the board and chairman Daniel Levy over a perceived lack of spending
‘He had to go off and to then watch the team and have to feel the pain of another defeat, in the manner it happened, meant he was obviously very emotional.
‘He’s a leader in the club. He hasn’t been able to help us and I think it was his way of trying, as a leader, to help us and the group in saying that we’re going through a tough time but he believes in what we’re doing.
‘I think the way he probably expressed it was not the right way, particularly in a public sense, because it’s certainly not my belief that our challenges at the moment are because of one thing or one person. I think whatever we need to do, we have the power to do that. But it’ll only happen if we kind of stay united as a group, particularly through difficult times.
‘A lot of what he said was good. Some of what he said wasn’t right. It shouldn’t be done in public. I believe that with these things we deal with them within our own four walls because there are always issues that we need to deal with, the same way I wouldn’t publicly criticise a player or anyone else.
‘I know people get really sort of salacious about punishments and stuff. They really love that sort of thing. I think I’m pretty consistent in saying I just don’t think that that’s important.
‘I think what’s more important is an understanding of how we should deal with these things and deal with them better.
‘I’ve already spoken to Cristian about it. He’s apologised for the fact that the way he said it, particularly in the public sense, wasn’t the right way to go about things. He is a human being. He got emotional and I think he just expressed what he wanted to express publicly in the wrong way.’
Spurs are 11th in the Premier League and with every step forward seem to take one back. A run of one win and four defeats in their last seven games, however, has intensified the scrutiny on Postecoglou.
Tottenham boss Postecoglou retains the immediate support of the club’s hierarchy
Mail Sport understands he retains the immediate backing of Levy, although there is an understanding results must improve.
After the Chelsea loss, Romero was asked if Tottenham were suffering over limited spending and a lack of depth. He 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.’
Backing Postecoglou, he added: ‘He’s a great coach. We saw it in the first season. In this second one we’ve suffered a lot of injuries.
‘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.’
Postecoglou is the fifth manager, including caretaker bosses, that Romero has played under since arriving at Tottenham in August 2021.
