Oriol Romeu

[Markutis 12]

Last time Chelsea and Barcelona faced each other in the Champions League you managed pretty well to dismantle our offense. I think RDM will repeat that Hiddink formation with Essien, Mikel, Ballack and Lampard for the first leg. Obviously, Ballack won't be in the game so i bet it's going to be Mikel, Essien, Ramires and Lampard. Torres up front with Mata behind him.

I guess RDM's first goal is to prevent Barcelona from scoring in Stanford Bridge. Then, for the second leg he'll try to take advantage of the away goals with faster players like Sturridge or/and Kalou. Otherwise it would be a surprise.

[Ollie 4,400]

It's a big summer to get the right Winger, holding midfielder (perhaps Romeu will get his chance) and creative playmaker. We need those 3 signings to go back up a level. We're not far away but we're still far enough. We have the defence, we can wait a year for a striker imo, the other areas are more important. If you create, you will score. Our play is slow and very stuttery.

The teams from 2009 wont be that different tho, will they? It's only the ages that make us worse off than in 2009. This time, they'll run rings around us in the middle. I'm so scared of this. We need Ramires, Mata and Romeu as the midfield 3 instead of Lampard, Essien and Mikel at home. That's a risk, but you have to play the opposition. Lampard, Essien and Mikel wont be able to handle the quickness of Xavi, Iniesta and Fabregas.

I hope Romeu stays, he has a good future ahead of him. He's already almost ready for the big time already judging by his previous displays.

Anyway, i'm going slightly off topic now. Maybe the Chelsea vs Barcelona thread should just be created now, i'm sure that's all we're gonna talk about for 2 weeks anyway.

[OneMoSalah 8,783]

It's a big summer to get the right Winger, holding midfielder (perhaps Romeu will get his chance) and creative playmaker. We need those 3 signings to go back up a level. We're not far away but we're still far enough. We have the defence, we can wait a year for a striker imo, the other areas are more important. If you create, you will score. Our play is slow and very stuttery.

The teams from 2009 wont be that different tho, will they? It's only the ages that make us worse off than in 2009. This time, they'll run rings around us in the middle. I'm so scared of this. We need Ramires, Mata and Romeu as the midfield 3 instead of Lampard, Essien and Mikel at home. That's a risk, but you have to play the opposition. Lampard, Essien and Mikel wont be able to handle the quickness of Xavi, Iniesta and Fabregas.

I hope Romeu stays, he has a good future ahead of him. He's already almost ready for the big time already judging by his previous displays.

Anyway, i'm going slightly off topic now. Maybe the Chelsea vs Barcelona thread should just be created now, i'm sure that's all we're gonna talk about for 2 weeks anyway.

We don't need quick players as much, we need midfield players who can read the game more than anything ie. Mikel, Essien, Meireles and Lampard. Plus Mata is more an attacking midfielder so playing him in the midfield 3 is a risk as its not what hes used to, he will have to be more disciplined in terms of going forwards even though the whole team is going to have to be. Look at what AC Milan did in their home leg, they didn't play a team full of fast players, they went for experience and players who are excellent at reading the game(Seedorf, Antonini, Nocerino, Nesta, Mexes) and if Van Bommel wasn't suspended he would of played for sure. Even though they pressed Barca, they did it together as a unit, that is how it is much more effective. If we can press them as a unit rather than as individuals it will be much more successful.

Off topic yes, sorry

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Yes, a fit Mikel starts over Romeu because of his expirience but let's not forget that the lad is just 20 years old and is an excellent prospect. If we plan on keeping him, we must give him more pitch time. As for the Barca game, I'd start both him and Mikel. We will need two holding midfielders if we are going to stop them from scoring, and with all honesty, I don't trust Essien in a game like this anymore.

[Marvin123 484]

Romeu started outstanding for us didnt he,then lost a bit of confidence with all the media hype around the club

BUT i cant help but think the only reason he is not playing anymore games is because it would trigger a cash sum to barca? all contracts these days have triggers i them for more cash

ie, lukaku we paid 10 millionj up front the other 8 depends on apps and goals an so forth so are we gettin tight because of chance of missing out on champs league?

[CHOULO19 24,332]

He has apparently "fallen ill". This is getting ridiculous!

[capriccioso 2,545]

Has anyone seen him at Cobham? Maybe Roman sent him to work in his evil lair in a volcano in Siberia

[Jase 43,479]

RDM is really taking the piss when he said he is ill!!

Has anyone seen him at Cobham? Maybe Roman sent him to work in his evil lair in a volcano in Siberia

Think he was on the bench against Fulham.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

^^

Yes, he was on the bench at Fulham.

[Sheva. 5,373]

A recent interview by him i saw on WAGNH -

Question: Did the idea that for the first time in your life you could celebrate a Barcelona defeat come to your mind?

Answer: Yes, ever since I left Barca I knew this could happen.

Q: Why did you leave the Catalan club?

A: Because the offer came from

Chelsea. I would not have gone if not for the interest of a great team. I thought it was good for my career, that it would be a big leap sporting wise. I came to learn and even if I haven’t played recently, I do not regret this step because I found what I wanted. Barca understood me and helped me. Despite my departure I will be forever grateful to Barcelona.

Q: You have said that the difference between both teams is that Barcelona is a feeling and Chelsea a business…

A: No, I’ve never said that!! Have you seen one of our games, do you think there are no feelings there. For money I would have gone somewhere else.

Q: Did you leave to return?

A: No, I came to grow as a player. It is not my objective to return to Barcelona, I want to forge a place at Chelsea to ultimately become an important player. I’ve only been here a few months, so I have to be patient.

Q: Has the coach explained why he doesn’t play you?

A: No, he doesn’t have to. At Chelsea, just like at any other team, when you don’t deserve to play you don’t play, I just need to show more in training

Q: You already shared a locker with Messi, Xavi, and now with Lampard, Terry, Drogba….. Is the English one more hierarchised?

A: No I don’t think so. At Barca, there are a lot of homegrown players so most are of the same age, it’s different…..Here it’s different as there are few youth players and a lot have come from abroad. But just everywhere, veterans rule the locker room. It’s evident that Terry is a captain and more. But you shouldn’t think the veterans don’t talk to us or help us, in the contrary when I arrived they helped me a lot.

John Terry comes to cheer me up when I don’t play, I could say he was captain from the beginning.

Q: Does he dispatch orders a lot?

A: In the club Roman Abramovich does it, but in the field Terry does it a lot. Fortunately I haven’t had a confrontation with him, but I’ve seen some pheeeeeeeeeeeew….

Q: Do you know Abramovich?

A: I’ve met him once, and the day he came to tell us Villas-Boas was not in charge anymore and that Di Matteo was the new coach, he was affected, you could see it in his face.

Q: Has the team philosophy changed a lot?

A: We’re possibly more direct and more aggressive, but our playing pattern hasn’t changed. We went through many matches, so our confidence has grown.

Q: What do you think about Fernando Torres?

A: He’s good, very good. Had a bad scoring record, but he has scored and now that is over. He is a very important player. I am very fortunate to have him and Mata in the team, they help me a lot.

Q: What does Juan Mata bring to Chelsea?

A: Talent, imagination, creativity, surprise… He is very different from the players the English are used seeing here.

Q: Seems like today’s game is about two different styles?

A: Yes, very different. We both want to score in our own way, we are an offensive team, the difference is in intensity, it is a British thing. Here it is go, go, go… Is a very demanding rhythm where you’re always going forward, I’m sure Barcelona will find it hard to cope with.

Q: Is Sergio Busquets your reference?

A: Busquets is one of the best defensive midfielders in the world, he’s very smart tactically, and his very good positioning permits him to execute quick plays perfectly. He is a reference for anybody that plays the position.

Q: Where were you the day Andres Iniesta scored at Stamford Bridge?

A: Watching it on TV with a few teammates, not sure where but it wasn’t in La Masia

http://www.weaintgotnohistory.com/2012/4/19/2958868/oriol-romeu-interview-translated-to-english

[Waterfall 893]

We should loan him to Barca so he could get some playing time.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

There's a definite change in toe from "I want to return to Barcelona one day" to "I'm here to make a place for myself at Chelsea".

Now if we could only make out why the hell he hasn't been playing recently...

[LDN Blue 7,903]

He sounded agitated in that interview

[Spike 12,049]

He needs a lot of game time in the Preseason and early next season. Hopefully he impresses and gets promoted á la Sturridge.

[Term-X 7,891]

"I’ve met him once, and the day he came to tell us Villas-Boas was not in charge anymore and that Di Matteo was the new coach, he was affected, you could see it in his face."

^ No mention of an outspoken Roman... clearly the Daily Mail had it wrong then, sources claimed he 'ripped them a new one', and read them the "riot act" etc, Smh.

[Kajo 176]

I think he still got time to play for us and RDM should give him chance to play like for example against Arsenal when most players will be resting before 2nd leg of UCL.

[The Big Drog 1,110]

It seems that Di Matteo has put his stock in the more experienced players until the end of the season. I just hope that Romeu is considered to be part of the Mata, Luiz, Ramires group that will carry the club in the future and hopefully will feature more next season, he is a terrific talent.

[francozola 2,040]

"I’ve met him once, and the day he came to tell us Villas-Boas was not in charge anymore and that Di Matteo was the new coach, he was affected, you could see it in his face."

^ No mention of an outspoken Roman... clearly the Daily Mail had it wrong then, sources claimed he 'ripped them a new one', and read them the "riot act" etc, Smh.

Even if it were true, Romeu wouldn't admit it like that though