Thomas Frank has opened up on Cristian Romero after the Tottenham star was sent off in his side’s 2-0 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday.
In the 29th minute of the game, the Argentina international received his marching orders after a crunching tackle on Casemiro.
United then proceeded to win 2-0 following goals in either half from Bryan Mbeumo and Bruno Fernandes, making it four victories on the trot after Michael Carrick’s appointment as interim manager last month.
Romero’s red card came just days after the 27-year-old had let rip at the Tottenham hierarchy on social media.
Frank, speaking after the game, admitted he was disappointed by the centre-back’s actions – and also revealed that the Tottenham captain had apologised to his teammates in the dressing room.
“I think the first 30 minutes were a good away performance at a difficult place against a team with confidence in them and flow,” he said.
“The after the red card, I am very proud of the players. The resilience, staying in the game mentality, still being a threat at times trying to create something. Very proud of them.
“Then, of course we just made the three offensive subs and then we concede the second. I think the last 60/70 minutes, we were playing with 10 men.
Cristian Romero lasted just 29 minutes in Tottenham’s defeat to Manchester United on Saturday
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“They put everything into it. Very proud of the fans. You could hear them loud throughout the game.
“It can always happen, of course. You can play 10 against 11. Of course, that was the area that got a little bit exposed.
“Cristian first and foremost, there is no intention to do the follow through and get a red. He clearly goes for the ball.
“Unfortunately, the way the rules are, it becomes a red. Cristian apologised to his teammates in the dressing room.
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“It is, but it is what it is. We need to deal with it.
“I think a big area we’ve been working hard on is the resilience. We didn’t get the result out of it today, but what they showed out there on the pitch today, the players, was incredible. We need to focus on Newcastle on Tuesday night.
“Just focus on the next game. That is Newcastle on Tuesday night.”
Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario also spoke out after the fixture in Manchester, with the Italian reflecting on a ‘tough’ defeat for his side.
“It is so tough. Especially when you come to play in a stadium like this one,” he said.
“But I am proud of my teammates because we showed a lot of resilience and hard work throughout the game. It is tough when you are one man less to try and overturn a result that is already 1-0.
“I am proud of my teammates, so so proud, because they put all the character and effort in today and to do it 10 v 11 is a massive reward for what we want to show for our football club, for our fans.
“Of course the result is another defeat which is tough to accept but, today, we need to take the positive that can take us into Tuesday’s game.”
Bruno Fernandes celebrates scoring Man Utd’s second goal in their 2-0 Premier League win over Tottenham
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On how Romero feels, he added: “He is disappointed because he knows this red card could have been avoided so he apologised.
“He is our captain and today he made a mistake but we know the player he is and he is going to come back stronger and help us massively throughout the season.”
The result means Spurs remain 14th in the table, just nine points above the relegation.
On a potential relegation battle, Vicario stated: “It depends how you see things in life.
“The reality is that in terms of results we have struggled a lot. Two wins in the last 16 is not acceptable for this football club but we don’t have to forget how we are trying to push ourselves in tough conditions.
“This is the reality. Of course we have had a brilliant Champions League campaign so far and playing every three games I have already played 36 games and I am proud of myself for doing this but for the outfield players it is tough, so it depends how you see things in life.”
