The outstanding form of Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski over the past six weeks has played a major role in Tottenham's rise up the Premier League table. Now sitting in fourth following their 5-1 triumph over Newcastle United, Antonio Conte's men are in a very good position to attack their final eight games as they look to achieve a Champions League finish.
As crucial as Spurs' attacking trio are going to be in their quest to pip rivals Arsenal to the coveted prize, Tottenham also have another three players at the other end of the pitch who are equally important to Conte's plans. Very shaky at the back prior to the Italian's arrival in the capital at the start of November, Tottenham have sorted out their defensive issues and settled on a preferred back three.
A player who has come in for criticism in the past and one who maybe has been underappreciated by many, Eric Dier's importance to the backline has been clear to see since his return from injury midway through February. Cristian Romero has also been a colossus since recovering from the hamstring issue that sidelined him for three months and is now demonstrating exactly why he was voted Serie A Defender of the Year in 2020/21.
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Finally, Ben Davies has hit another level since switching from left-back to left-sided centre-back on a permanent basis. Performing incredibly well in the position for Wales down the years, the 28-year-old is now getting the recognition he fully deserves at club level after excelling in the back three.
Davies capped off another good defensive display with Tottenham's first goal of the afternoon, a superb glancing header to find the corner from Son's wicked delivery. Far from their best at that point with Newcastle one goal to the good courtesy of Fabian Schar's low free-kick, the Welshman's header could prove vital come the end of the campaign as it turned the game on its head and led to Spurs' four-goal haul in the second half.
On a day where there was a number of good performances with Kane, Son, Kulusevski and Matt Doherty all playing a major part in the win, it was Romero who came out with Tottenham's man of the match award, The summer addition delivered a defensive masterclass and was calmness personified throughout the 90 minutes.
Up against the pace and trickery of Newcastle's influential attacker Allan Saint-Maximin, Romero didn't give the Frenchman a sniff as he totally nullified him. He also made a majestic tackle on Joe Willock in the box midway through the first half after the former Arsenal man had worked his way into a good position and looked destined to net.
Getting better with every passing game and coming on in leaps and bounds under the guidance of Conte, Romero's numbers from the game were something to behold. Winning all seven of his tackles and coming out on top in eight of his 10 ground duels, he also made 11 ball recoveries, was successful with three of his five long balls, had a 94% pass accuracy from his 77 completed passess and also had a 100% take-on completion rate.
"What a player. I have no words," was Kulusevski's reaction to Romero's performance after the Swede commented on the defender's Instagram post after the game. He was simply outstanding against Newcastle and he will be pivotal to Tottenham's hopes in the remaining weeks of the season.
Having Joe Rodon and Davinson Sanchez also challenging for a spot in the back three, Conte mentioned the duo in his post-match press conference when asked about the players coming into the side and giving him difficult decisions to make. Knowing he has good players in the pair to slot in at the back if required, the boss praised his first-choice trio of Romero, Dier and Davies for their form.
"Don't forget Joe Rodon improved a lot from November until now. Every single player improving a lot," he explained. "Now for example Sanchez before play every game now not playing as we've found a good balance with Romero, Dier and Davies.
"Not because he doesn't deserve to play, but in this moment they are playing very well. But to know if happen an injury and one three central defenders to have Joe Rodon and have Patron Sanchez behind makes me happy."
Such a key position in the team where you need continuity rather than constant chopping and changing, Davies was asked by Spurs TV after the game about the settled back three and the trust they have. Making it clear that they can still improve, he has admitted that their strong partnership is down to playing week in, week out together.
"I think as defenders the more you play together, the more you get to know how each of you is going to play," he said. "You get into a bit of a rhythm and I think right now we're finding our feet.
"I think the last few goals we've conceded have been set pieces, a free-kick today, but there's obvious points we can improve but I think we're working hard and it's showing."
Confidence is clearly flowing at Tottenham at the most important time in the season and hopefully their inconsistent form in the first few months of 2022 is a thing of the past. While all eyes will be on Kane, Son and Kulusevski shooting Spurs to glory, Romero, Dier and Davies are going to be just as important over the coming weeks as Conte's men look to deliver a hammer blow to Arsenal in the Champions League race.
