When Tottenham returned to action after the recent international break, much was made of the run of fixtures they faced.
Seven games in 22 days, nearly all of which appeared tough on paper. It has not been a flying start to that period, with defeat by Aston Villa and a fortunate draw in Monaco.
Cristian Romero missed both of those matches with an adductor injury and his absence is hugely significant for Spurs.
Thomas Frank named Romero club captain at the start of the season and he has relished the responsibility, leading what has been a much-improved defence.
He has been a consistent performer at the back and his ability on the ball is also crucial in a Tottenham side that struggles for creativity.
The likes of Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur do not progress the ball up the pitch particularly efficiently, but Romero is able to play those passes through the lines into the forward players.
The centre-back is crucial to Frank's pressing system, too. Spurs have often gone man-to-man and that has meant Micky van de Ven pushing right up the pitch into the opposition's half.
Romero has been the one left on the halfway line, as he was, for example, against Erling Haaland in August.
The Argentine relished that particular one-on-one battle and got the better of the Manchester City striker. Remarkably, that is the only match in which Haaland has not scored for club and country this season.
The statistics make clear just how much Tottenham miss Romero when he is not in the side. A Carabao Cup win over League One outfit Doncaster aside, Spurs are without a victory in the three matches that Romero has been absent for this season.
They were ragged in the Champions League against both Bodo/Glimt and Monaco, and could easily have conceded three or four goals in each of those games.
The defence was not quite so poor last weekend against Aston Villa, but still Spurs conceded twice and were beaten as Romero watched on from the bench having pulled out in the warm-up.
This is nothing new. Since the start of the 2023-24 season, Spurs have won 50 per cent of the Premier League matches that Romero has started, including four out of seven this term.
Without him, the win percentage drops to just over 23 per cent. Tottenham have played 26 league matches in that period without Romero and won only six.
Over a smaller sample size, Spurs are also coming under more pressure when Romero is not in the side. The number of shots opposition teams have had per game in the Premier League and Champions League this season rises from 12.3 to 16.3 in his absence.
Spurs travel to Everton on Sunday and are then away at Newcastle in the Carabao Cup. They also host Chelsea and Manchester United before the next international break.
How many, if any, of those matches Romero will miss is still uncertain. What is not in doubt is how much Spurs need their captain fit.
