Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has offered Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank crucial advice on dealing with captain Cristian Romero following his needless suspension during Sunday's devastating North London derby defeat.
Derby Disaster Spurs Captain Controversy
Tottenham Hotspur suffered a humiliating 4-1 defeat against arch-rivals Arsenal at the weekend, with summer signing Eberechi Eze netting a hat-trick for the Gunners in a completely one-sided affair. The loss was compounded by a moment of pure frustration involving Spurs captain Cristian Romero.
In the 70th minute, with the game already slipping away, the 27-year-old Argentine defender received a yellow card for dissent without even committing a foul. This moment of ill-discipline proved particularly costly as it marked Romero's fifth booking of the Premier League season, triggering an automatic suspension.
Romero's Costly Suspension Explained
The booking means Romero will miss Tottenham's crucial match against Fulham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next weekend. While accumulating five yellow cards before a season's 19th outing isn't uncommon for defenders, the nature of this particular booking has drawn significant criticism.
What makes this situation particularly damaging is the timing and context. As team captain, Romero is expected to lead by example, especially during difficult moments in high-pressure matches like the North London derby. Instead, he lost his composure and picked up a suspension that could have been completely avoided.
The incident appears even more puzzling given Thomas Frank's pre-season comments praising Romero's behaviour when appointing him captain. Frank had specifically highlighted how the defender "leads from his behaviour on the pitch" and drives the team forward in every way.
Gary Neville's Ferguson-Inspired Solution
Speaking on Sky Sports commentary, Gary Neville reacted to the booking by suggesting a disciplinary approach that Thomas Frank might consider implementing. The former England defender revealed how Sir Alex Ferguson handled similar situations during his legendary tenure at Manchester United.
"Just think about that Romero suspension for dissent," Neville stated. "We had many fines at Manchester United when I played, but if we got booked for dissent we got fined 10 per cent of our wages. He wouldn't accept that."
Neville added an important clarification about Ferguson's approach, noting: "You might not think that of Sir Alex Ferguson, he was encouraging people to have a go at referees, but he actually didn't like it."
This presents Frank with an opportunity to stamp his authority early in his Tottenham tenure. While one yellow card won't fundamentally change Romero's established reputation, it does provide the Danish manager with a chance to set clear standards and expectations for his captain and the entire squad.
The suspension comes at an inconvenient time for Tottenham as they look to bounce back from their derby disappointment against Marco Silva's Fulham side. Frank must now reorganise his defence without his first-choice centre-back and captain, testing the squad's depth and resilience early in the campaign.
