The Spanish midfielder has been a peripheral figure at Stamford Bridge of late, could he re-emerge for the most crucial two games of Chelsea’s season?
Oriol Romeu is something of an enigma to Chelsea fans, with no real explanation given for his absence from the first team of late.
It has led fans to wonder whether there is a clause in his complex contract which would trigger an extra cash payment, or speed up Barcelona’s buy-back process if he plays an extra game.
No official word has been given on this though, and for now it remains pure speculation, so we must assume that Romeu is available like everybody else, even if he is not being picked.
Nevertheless it is a subject of bemusement for Chelsea fans who are regularly less-than-enthused with John Obi Mikel’s midfield performances.
Still the upcoming Champions League semi-final clashes with Barcelona poses an intriguing and difficult dilemma for Roberto di Matteo, who must somehow work out how to take on Xavi and Andre Iniesta in midfield.
Romeu, just 20, is a far way from their high standards, but even so, he could be Chelsea’s best bet to combat them in midfield.
He used to play for the Catalan side, and know how they approach the game, and his insight may give him an advantage over his teammates in knowing how best to take them on.
Not only that, but he is trained the ‘Barcelona-way’, and the best way to attack the Spanish champions may just be playing them at their own game.
It is not impossible that di Matteo agrees, he sprung a series of selection surprises against Benfica in the quarter-finals, and is becoming famed for his rotation policy.
He threw in Paulo Ferreira, another forgotten man, for the tie in his native Portugal, and he did not let his manager down.
Now we are wondering if he may decide to repeat the masterstroke by playing Romeu in Spain.
With Romeu’s strange contract, perhaps the last thing Chelsea want to do is alert Barcelona to his progress and have the Spaniards buy him back, but if they intend on doing so, it will likely happen regardless of what happens in the semi-finals, so Chelsea should throw caution to the wind and consider including him.
If Di Matteo considers starting him a gamble too far, he should at least be included on the bench as an option, and given a chance to turn the tie in Chelsea’s favour when the time is right.
What would you do? Would you like to see Romeu given more opportunities?
image: © WSHJackson
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