Argentinian players have always been welcome in Serie A teams. Hernan Crespo, Javier Zanetti, Gonzalo Higuain, Esteban Cambiasso are just a few examples, with Inter enjoying the biggest share of stellar names. However, today’s talent on hand is 22-year-old Cristian Romero, who moved to Atalanta on a two-year loan deal from Juventus.
The success of the Bergamo side isn’t only in qualifying to European competitions, most notably the Champions League, but also in being efficient in spotting and nurturing talents who can fit in their team like a puzzle.
At the age of 19, Cristian Romero became a regular starter at Genoa and managed to accumulate a total of 57 appearances during two seasons.
To get to know him better, let’s take a closer look.
Physical Characteristics
Standing at 185cm, the Young Argentinian is deployed as a sweeper defender between Berat Djimsiti and Rafael Toloi. His strength provides reassurance at the back and this has been successfully tested when he faced robust opponents like Romelu Lukaku of Inter and Simy Nwankwo of Crotone. Romero was not afraid to mark and challenge them for the ball.
Moreover, his high jumping reach helped him win 91% of his aerial duels.
Although playing in a three-man defense means he doesn’t always have to be man-marking a specific opponent, he contributes by putting his body in a good position where he can block shots and crosses.
Romero is fast and agile player who is rarely beaten in one-on-one situations. He doesn’t give his opponent an inch for maneuvers.
Psychological Traits
Romero has great determination and always applies pressure on the opponent striker, often managing to neutralize him and limit the opposition team’s attacking options.
When clearing the ball, he remains calm and most of the time makes the right decision by either holding it or providing the right pass instead of kicking the ball arbitrarily. He is a great example of a no-nonsense center back.
The south American assimilated his role very well and performs with confidence. One would say he has been with Atalanta for many years. He fits quite fine in the team’s 3-4-2-1 formation as he links up play with his partners at the back.
Though many young players fail to perform with consistency, Romero only plays badly once in a blue moon. Actually, he has improved even more after his move from Genoa to Atalanta, with The Scouting App giving him a general evaluation of 6.4 so far this season.
There’s no denying that Liverpool are a very strong side, but had he been available for the first Champions League game, Romero could have made a difference as Atalanta seemed to be always on the wrong foot in defense when they were thrashed 0-5 by the Reds. Perhaps it is not a case than, in the 2nd leg and with Romero playing in the middle of the defense, the Bergamaschi were able to snatch a convincing 2-0 win.
Technical Characteristics:
Cristian Romero is technically very gifted. His timing on tackles has improved drastically this season as rarely does he commit fouls inside the penalty area. He has only incurred 2 yellow cards in 7 games this season compared to a horrifying 14 yellow and one Red in 30 games jn last campaign.
Cristian displays important tactical knowledge and understanding of the game. This proves useful especially when out of possession. His movement and positioning allowed him to have an impressive tally of 26 interceptions and 56 recoveries so far this season.
Given the chance, he can dribble with pace just like he did against Napoli and completed it with a nice forward pass to Sam Lammers who only had to put it past the goalkeeper.
It’s true that Romero has high passing accuracy (91%) but numbers can be deceiving since he only overachieves his fellow center backs due to most of his passes being short ones. His role requires that he puts the ball out of harm’s way rather than helping in the buildup of an attack with a long ball. When he occasionally tries to play a long pass, it often ends up intercepted. Therefore, passing is a critical aspect of the game in which he should improve to master his position.
Conclusion
The physically imposing defender can be considered as a well-established player. Atalanta being a stronger team than Genoa, Cristian Romero will have a much easier time especially that the team spends the majority of the game applying Gian Piero Gasperini’s attacking football. As previously mentioned, he fits beautifully in the team and will be a cornerstone for Atalanta’s defense should they decide to activate their “option to buy” clause from Juventus.
As for Juventus, who seem to be making it a habit of purchasing youngsters and offloading them couple of years later, they might look back and regret losing such a reliable center back. Romero may only be bench material for the current Bianconeri, but a player with his potential and caliber would surely be beneficial for them in couple of years when veterans Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci decide to throw in their towels. Should he keep his performance up, it shouldn’t even be too long before he gets a call up for Argentina’s national football team.
Cristian Romero is arguably at the best place in Italy to continue his development as he slowly but surely builds up his way to a successful career.
