Juventus have become experts at signing some of the best talents in Serie A. This past summer saw them sign Cristian Romero, Luca Pellegrini and Merih Demiral. The first two are loaned out, with the Turk now with the bianconeri first-team.
Romero’s signing went under-the-radar. His signing’s value was €26 million and he was sent back on loan to Genoa.
He joined at the back of an impressive season at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris. Last season, the Argentine had 27 appearances to his name. He found the back of the net twice, assisting once.
He came in as a 20-year-old from hometown club Belgrano and made an impact right away. In January, Inter were linked with a move for him. Giorgio Perinetti, Genoa sporting director, did laud Cristian Romero during that time.
He told Sport Italia (via Fedenerazzura): “He is always doing better, he has very big growing potential.”
It was clear that the player’s quality was seen by big clubs before Juve got him. In his loan spell at the Rossoblu, he hasn’t disappointed anyone. He has done all that, despite having added pressure on his shoulders.
Genoa weren’t in a good position though. Former manager Aurelio Andreazzoli won two and drew one in the first three games of the season. But they went onto lose five out of the six games that came up. This led to Andreazzoli’s sacking and Thiago Motta’s appointment.
He has played ten times in all competitions this season. Under Andreazzoli, Romero usually played as the left central defender in a 3-5-2 shape. On one occasion, he did play on the right. Last season he had played as the right centre-back in a flat back-four.
But under new manager Motta, Romero started off on the right of a back-three in a 3-4-1-2 shape against Brescia. Since then, the club has shifted to a 4-3-3 shape in which Romero has played on the left of the back two.
This shows how versatile a defender Romero is. One good quality about Romero is how good he is on the ball. He has played the third-highest number of passes at the club – 49.7. Out of players who have played regularly, Romero has also had the third-highest passing percentage- 88.7.
When it comes to defending, Romero has done well in that regard too. He has been the third-best tackler at the club, winning 2.1 tackles per game. He has also made the second-highest number of interceptions for the club.- 2.2. If that’s not enough, he has made the second-most clearances at the club too- 3.7.
Those are very promising defenders in what hasn’t exactly been too impressive a season for the club. Despite that, Romero’s talents have shined through to the fore. Playing alongside experienced defenders like Cristian Zapata and Domenico Criscito, he has grown in stature.
His best performance probably came against Juve themselves. The 21-year-old made four tackles, making as many as nine clearances and winning two aerial duels as well.
Against Bologna too, Romero was impressive. He won three tackles, making four interceptions. He also made five clearances, showing how no-nonsense he can be in his approach.
Another big quality about the player is his ability to perform in big matches. He was also impressive against Milan and did well in the club’s 0-0 draw against Napoli as well.
Against Roma in the 3-3 draw, he won three tackles and won as many aerial duels as well. He also won two interceptions, making as many as seven clearances too.
These numbers show how despite the club having let in three goals, Romero did impress. And in every big game, he rose to the occasion and proved his worth.
And Juventus just need to have a plan for the player whenever he returns. He has proved that he will be worth the effort.
