Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernández has provided an insight into the reasoning behind defender Andreas Christensen being favoured over Oriol Romeu in his midfield ranks at present.
The subject of the ‘pivot’ role in Barca’s XI, of course, has long proven a headline talking point in Catalunya’s capital.
This comes with the Blaugrana still on the lookout for a worthy successor to Sergio Busquets, on the back of the Spanish veteran’s exit last summer.
The aforementioned Oriol Romeu was brought in to fill the position on a short-term basis prior to the season getting underway, and, initially, looked like a fine addition to Xavi’s engine room setup.
The months that followed, however, saw the former Girona man’s performance level dip, culminating in a drop to the bench.
And yet, it has nevertheless come as something of a surprise to see a headline member of Barcelona’s defensive core pushed forward, to take over from Romeu at the base of the club’s midfield.
Recent weeks have seen Andreas Christensen favoured as the man tasked to patrol the middle of the park in Catalunya, with the Dane’s efforts having freed up the likes of Frenkie de Jong and İlkay Gündoğan to weave their magic further forward.
Speaking in a press conference ahead of his side’s La Liga meeting with Getafe on Saturday, though, Xavi was nevertheless drawn on the exact reasoning behind his continued use of Christensen, over Romeu.
And the Spaniard went on to highlight the ‘defensive balance’ and ‘consistency’ provided by the former as the deciding factor:
“Well, Romeu has had discomfort, but now he is fine. Andreas is giving us the defensive balance we lacked, to know how to stop counterattacks, to be more consistent.”
Conor Laird | GSFN
