BREAKING: Thomas Frank’s brutal honesty on Cristian romero red card deepens Tottenham crisis after Man United defeat
Thomas Frank’s brutal honesty on Cristian romero red card deepens Tottenham crisis after Man United defeat
Ally McCoist did not hold back in his assessment of Cristian Romero’s red card, delivering a brutally honest verdict while speaking on TNT Sports. The former Scotland international made it clear that, in his view, the Tottenham captain’s challenge was completely unnecessary and avoidable.
McCoist argued that Romero had no reason to commit to such a forceful follow-through, insisting there are far smarter ways to contest possession without putting yourself or the opponent at risk. “I don’t think he needs to follow through at all,” McCoist said. “It’s ridiculous. There’s a way to go and challenge for the ball properly and still win it. If he knows the player is there — and he absolutely does because the player is right in front of him — then it’s madness. For me, there’s just no excuse for that kind of challenge.”
The dismissal has major consequences for Tottenham, with Romero now set to serve a four-match suspension as a result of the reckless tackle. The Argentine defender will miss a crucial midweek clash against Newcastle United, before sitting out one of the biggest fixtures of the season — the North London derby away to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. His absence will also stretch into further London derbies against Fulham and Brentford, with Romero only eligible to return when Spurs travel to Anfield to face Liverpool next month.
The red card comes at a sensitive time for Romero, following a turbulent week in which he publicly criticised the club’s recruitment strategy. After Tottenham’s dramatic 2-2 draw with Manchester City — a match in which head coach Thomas Frank had just 11 fully fit senior players available — Romero described the squad depth as “disgraceful” in a social media post. Frank later confirmed the issue had been addressed behind closed doors, insisting the matter was dealt with internally.
Despite the controversy, Frank was once again asked to comment on his captain following the defeat to Manchester United. The Spurs boss chose to focus on his team’s character rather than dwell solely on the dismissal. “I thought the first 30 minutes were a very good away performance at a difficult stadium against a team full of confidence and momentum,” Frank said. “After the red card, I was extremely proud of the players. The resilience they showed, the mentality to stay in the game, to keep fighting and still try to create chances — that says a lot about them.”
Manchester United’s opening goal eventually arrived from a well-rehearsed set-piece routine, finished off by Bryan Mbeumo. When asked whether that goal would have been conceded had Romero remained on the pitch, Frank was blunt in his assessment. “No,” he told TNT Sports. “That was the space they managed to exploit. You can always concede when you’re down to ten men, of course, but that specific area became exposed after the red card.”
Frank was also keen to defend Romero’s intentions, stressing that there was no malice behind the challenge. “Cristian goes for the ball, first and foremost,” he explained. “There’s no intention to make a reckless follow-through or get himself sent off. Unfortunately, under the current rules, it becomes a red card. He knows that, and he apologised to his teammates in the dressing room straight after the game.”
Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario echoed his manager’s sentiments and publicly backed his captain, insisting the defender will learn from the incident. “He’s very disappointed because he knows this red card could have been avoided,” Vicario said. “That’s why he apologised. He’s our captain. He made a mistake today, but we all know the quality he has. He’ll come back stronger and will be a huge help to us for the rest of the season.