The demands of FC Barcelona remain as high as ever and expectations exist to be matched or overcome. For the Catalan giants, domestic success and a strong European run are integral objectives this season and must be achieved at all costs.
To meet these expectations and objectives, Barcelona built together a formidable team during the summer despite major economic problems. The only reinforcement that arrived with a transfer fee was 32-year-old Girona midfielder Oriol Romeu for around €3 million.
At first, the former La Masia player managed to grab everyone’s attention by playing consistently well. Acting as Barca’s primary pivot in light of Sergio Busquets’ departure, he managed to understand the role well and adapt accordingly.
However, recent games have shown a less reliable version of the veteran midfielder. Against Porto in particular, the Spaniard was unable to be accurate with his passes and was consistently forced back and shut down by the resilient Portuguese pressure.
Despite that, as Mundo Deportivo reports, Xavi maintains full faith in the midfielder. To him, he is the ideal candidate to retain the pivot position and is crucial within the setup.
Having been developed in La Masia, he fully understands the Barcelona way of football and is reportedly one of the key figures in the locker room who fully grasps the tactical concepts put forth by Xavi Hernandez.
His age and fatigue could be addressed as major contributors to his recently dwindling performances. However, Xavi maintains that he also has alternatives such as Ilkay Gundogan and Gavi to play as temporary pivots or ‘helpers’ to that position while also having Andreas Christensen as an emergency backup.
The loss of Frenkie De Jong has also particularly hurt the performances of Romeu. The Dutch midfielder brought balance and easy transition within the team. His ability to progress the ball, add defensive numbers as well as pick out clever passes were all integral to helping Romeu adjust to this new Barcelona team.
The upcoming game against Granada will hence be crucial for Romeu and Barcelona. It will be seen how the 32-year-old manages to perform and if it warrants any new changes after the upcoming international break when a variety of important clashes coming up ahead.