'Outstanding': Ange Postecoglou names the only Tottenham player who showed up for work against Arsenal

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou joked he just needs to give some of what Cristian Romero has to other players in his team after their defeat to Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday.

The 2022 World Cup winner risked everything to get Spurs back in the game by scoring to make it 3-1 when every Lilywhite player on the pitch looked to have thrown in the towel. Before that, he was terrific on set-pieces, creating chances and leading the attack despite being a defender. 

Asked what he made of the former Atalanta man he said, Postecoglou said: “Yeah, he was outstanding. He's a World Cup winner and I've just got to get some of what's in him into some of the others.” 

Tottenham losing ground in Champions League chase 

Tottenham put in a spirited second-half performance to make the scoreline respectable after a forgettable first half where they had the ball but just could not stop conceding. 

They were looking to close the gap on fourth-placed Aston Villa who could only draw against Chelsea despite racing to a 2-0 lead in the game before allowing a massive fightback from Mauricio Pochettino’s side to salvage a point. 

Spurs though failed to make up ground, losing at home against their sworn rivals and crucially losing ground on their quest to finish in the Champions League spot. 

There is hope in the way they ended the game, keeping Arsenal on the robes but in the end, they had tied themselves in rings and left them them with so much work to do.