Ashely Williams
In a thrilling 2-2 draw at Turf Moor, Tottenham’s defensive shortcomings were brought to light by Match of the Day pundit Ashley Williams. Axel Tuanzebe took advantage of these lapses to equalize for Burnley, prompting Williams to criticize the Argentinian defender Cristian Romero and the rest of Thomas Frank’s backline for their subpar performance.
Ashley Williams said: “Romero didn’t have a good day at all, but he produces some header for the equaliser. It’s a great goal to score. But on the flipside of that, you want your defenders to defend and take pride in that. We highlight Romero because when the ball gets turned over, he’s really lucky that it’s offside because he probably gives a penalty away [for a foul on Marcus Edwards] and you can see he’s just not switched on.”
Williams continued: “There’s another example of this later in the game where he takes his eye off the ball and you look at his body language and you worry, because his head is down straight away yet he’s supposed to be your captain and he sets the tone. When you look at the backline [for Burnley’s equaliser], they should all be squeezed up in a line and Romero and Micky van de Ven should be about five yards back, but they’re not. It’s all higgledy-piggledy and [Axel] Tuanzebe gets in there free and you’re wondering: how is he free in their six-yard box?”
He added: “Again we look at the shape [for another Burnley chance]. Romero is deeper than [Kevin] Danso, van de Ven is too high also but because he has the pace he gets back on that occasion. It’s a similar situation for another Burnley chance, where Danso is calling for offside and Romero…if it wasn’t for [Armando] Broja, if it was another striker that had a bit more confidence in his finish that would have been a goal as well. The backline is pushed and pulled all over the place. But they score goals, so it’s really bizarre. But in my opinion, I think the Tottenham fanbase would rather their defenders defend properly and keep a clean sheet.”
Williams’ analysis underscores the ongoing defensive issues Tottenham faces, despite their ability to score goals. The match highlighted the need for a more cohesive and disciplined backline, especially with Romero expected to lead by example as captain. Tottenham’s defensive organization will be crucial in their pursuit of consistent performances and results in the Premier League.
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