Thomas Frank’s tactics are at the core of the improved fitness of Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero at Tottenham this season. 

Frank has come under pressure at Tottenham due to a mixed set of results in recent weeks, with another home defeat against Fulham last time out.

Some fans have even begun reminiscing about the high-intensity attacking football Spurs played under Ange Postecoglou.

However, the Postecoglou era wasn’t the sunshine and rainbows that some supporters have convinced themselves it was.

Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven’s fitness levels have transformed

Tottenham fans saw the Romero and Van de Ven pairing just a handful of times in the Premier League last season, with injuries taking over.

• Romero and van de Ven missed a combined 241 days last season
• Both stars were out for a combined 59 games

But other than a couple of games this time around, Romero and Van de Ven have been Tottenham’s starting centre-back duo.

For Tottenham expert and Lilywhite Rose owner John Wenham, speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, this change has been one of the positives of the Frank era.

“Because we’re playing the defence deeper than under Postecoglou, and not having to run back on the turn quickly, which in turn means we’re not picking up sudden hamstring injuries,” Wenham said.

“This means that they’re actually playing together all the time. I can’t remember a period where we’ve had them together, Romero and van den Ven, for such a consistent period of time and obviously, we look best with our two world-class centre-backs on the pitch.”

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Tottenham has not been a defensive powerhouse

Guglielmo Vicario has been behind Tottenham’s defensive form in the Premier League.

Indeed, the Lilywhites have conceded the sixth-highest expected goals in the league this season.

Meanwhile, Vicario has prevented the third most goals in the Premier League this period. This comes after his mistake during Tottenham’s 2-1 home defeat to Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday.

The goalkeeper has received most of the criticism for Spurs’ defensive woes, but without him, the Lilywhites’ position on the Premier League table does not bear thinking about.

While this could stem from both defenders needing time to flesh out their partnership, if not solved soon, it could be costly for the Lilywhites.