Tottenham Hotspur defender Cristian Romero has come under fire on the back of his display on the weekend at Anfield as he gave away a needless penalty.

Why is Romero receiving such criticism?

The Argentine defender has had a mixed campaign having tasted the greatest triumph in football over the weekend as his nation won the World Cup.

However, there has been a lot left to be desired during his performances for the north London side this season.

Romero joined Spurs last season and after struggling through injury issues, he hit the ground running and showed a lot of promise as the Lilywhites sealed a top-four finish.

Indeed, in their FA Cup clash against Brighton & Hove Albion last season, Alasdair Gold hailed the Argentine's return from injury with an 8/10 rating:

"Back from injury and he made a perfectly-timed crunching first half tackle on Lamptey that drew a big cheer from the crowd. There were more similar moments on and off the ball. His anticipation and decision-making were often a cut above and you can see why Conte wants to build his defence around him," Gold said.

However, on the weekend, his reckless nature got the better of him and he gave away a needless penalty inside the opening 15 minutes which allowed Mohamed Salah the chance to make it 3-0.

Looking back on that penalty now, it was a completely unnecessary challenge from the £165k-per-week ace which has ended up costing his side a point.

And speaking on talkSPORT, Darren Bent has torn into the Argentine claiming the "liability" is nowhere near being one of the best centre-backs in the league:

"What you can't live with is how reckless Romero is every single game. That's a concern, because every single [game], he gives away a penalty yesterday [Sunday], he's been sent off.

"He makes them tough challenges all the time. And at times, he doesn't get punished for it. You talk about an experienced defender. Somebody that's won the World Cup. Someone who some people will say is one of the best centre-halves in the country, he can't be. He can't be when you're that reckless.

"But honestly, he does this every single game, and it just doesn't get punished. So if you're a manager, you start thinking, well, he almost becomes a liability."

Does the defenders around him affect Romero's displays?

Tottenham's defensive record has been absolutely atrocious this season with only five other sides having conceded more goals than the north London side thus far.

Spurs have now conceded 57 goals this season which is only 10 fewer than Leeds United who have conceded the most out of any side in the league.

So, it is apparent there are major improvements needed over the summer in defence.

However, that does not excuse incidents like Romero's challenge on the weekend which resulted in the penalty being awarded against the visitors.

There was no need for the Argentine to go to ground. It almost shows a lack of experience but this is a player who has won the greatest honour possible in football.

Another example of Romero's issues is the hair-pull on Marc Cucurella from earlier in the season. Somehow, Romero was not shown a straight red card, but it is yet another example of how reckless he can be.

Of course, the majority of Spurs fans are likely to point the finger and the likes of Eric Dier – and rightfully so – however, the notion that Romero's errors are a result of the players around him can certainly be questioned.