Announced as the successor to Sergio Busquets in the Catalan midfield, Oriol Romeu struggles to justify the trust placed in him by the leaders of FC Barcelona. Landed this summer from Girona, a club with which he performed during the previous year, the Spanish midfielder certainly held his ground at the start of the season to compensate for Frenkie de Jong’s injury but has since had to confine himself to a role of second knife. In recent weeks, the native of Ulldecona has not been spared criticism from the other side of the Pyrenees. Criticized by his insufficient performance and his few lapses in concentration, the 32-year-old player regularly misses major meetings with the reigning Spanish champion, as was the case during the Clasico against Real Madrid or even against Atlético de Madrid last weekend.
Barred by competition in midfield and announced to leave during the next transfer market, Oriol Romeu is not alarmed. This Friday, SPORT paints us the portrait of a hardworking player, aware of his strengths and weaknesses. A professional at heart, the Spaniard has already been confronted with this type of situation across the Channel. At the time when Mark Hughes (in 2018) stopped counting on his services with Southampton, the Iberian was able to bounce back on his feet not by urging his coach to make him play imperatively but by asking him to play with the reserves to keep the rhythm. With his sacrifices made this summer to join Barça, his favorite club, Oriol Romeu seems more than ever willing to gradually gain playing time. In any case, he hopes to be there during the confrontation against his old team, Girona, Sunday (9 p.m.) for the 16th day of La Liga.
