Romeu takes his chance to enjoy the long game

WHEN Oriol Romeu was coming through the ranks at Barcelona, he was struck by how Pep Guardiola, then the manager, would sometimes spend longer with the club’s youngsters than he did with the senior players.

Observing, making notes, giving bits of advice to the awestruck teenagers to improve their game. ‘He loved to correct things to make us better,’ said the Southampton midfielder. Guardiola advised him about looking for the long game. ‘We all learned a lot from him.’

Two significant knee injuries — one in Spain, the other at Chelsea — have meant that Romeu is only now, at 25 , realising the potential which saw Guardiola hand him his Barcelona debut in the same side as Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic when he was just 18.

Back then, Romeu modelled his game on two great Spanish defensive midfielders, Sergi Busquets and Xabi Alonso. Busquets was partly the reason Romeu joined Chelsea to develop his game.

In west London, he won the Europa League and Champions League in successive seasons, but he was never established in the side.

He is in the happiest spell of his career as the main man on the south coast. Southampton have not conceded in six games and Romeu was just voted the club’s best player for September by supporters.

It is little-known French coach Claude Puel who is getting the best out of Romeu. ‘He’s not loud very often, but when he is loud it means that there is something wrong,’ Romeu says.

‘I remember the first half against Watford it wasn’t really good and at half-time he came in and he was noisy. We were not playing well and he just wanted us to be braver and to take the responsibility and to be happy out there playing.

‘We needed to believe in ourselves, and take risks.’

Romeu is relishing the responsibility placed upon him by Puel in midfield. ‘In that position the team needs you a lot and you need to be very regular. You need to get the ball moving and feed the players in front of you.

‘I feel in my best moment in terms of playing football.

‘Physically I feel very strong and technically I feel better with every game.

‘But still I want to go further.’

Just like Guardiola taught him.