However, there are also likely to be question marks over Romero’s suitability as the club’s captain.
The Argentine, who was appointed as Tottenham skipper by Frank in the summer after the departure of Son Heung-min to Los Angeles FC, has a chequered disciplinary record.
In 114 Premier League appearances the former Atalanta defender has collected 34 yellow cards and three red cards.
Tottenham, alongside Bournemouth, have the most yellow cards in the top flight this season with 42 – and 21% of those (nine) can be attributed to Romero.
He was also one of the players to be given their marching orders when Spurs were last reduced to nine players in a league match, against Chelsea in 2023.
And the context of his second yellow card against the Reds left former Tottenham and Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp bewildered.
“I think Hugo Ekitike’s goal is a foul. I can’t believe it’s not given, A consequence of that is Cristian Romero runs after the referee and gets himself a yellow card which has an impact at the end of the game,” Redknapp said on Sky Sports.
“What Romero did is what Romero does. To get involved right in front of the referee and kick out at someone right in front of the referee. If my four-year-old did that I would say ‘what are you doing?’
“Konate leaves a bit on Romero first which is actually quite cute because he knows he is not going to get caught. But he [Romero] can’t do that. It’s ridiculous.”
And former Tottenham goalkeeper Joe Hart called some of Spurs’ behaviour in the defeat “wild”.
“They put up a really good fight but there was so much ill discipline,” he told Match of the Day. “You can’t have that, you make it difficult for yourself.
“Xavi Simons has not gone out of his way to nail his fellow countryman but it is something so dangerous to do, absolutely a red card.
“They are fighting and scrapping for their lives, but from the moment Romero got that yellow card I felt another would come.
“Konate has just baited him and it is right in front of John Brooks – he has to give him a second yellow card.
“They just totally lost control. Richarlison after the game still not giving up, it all looked a bit wild out there.”
