Don't risk it with Romero!

(Baonghean.vn) - Coach Mourinho will almost certainly include goalkeeper number 2 Romero in the starting lineup for the Europa League final against Ajax a few days later.

If the 'special one' decides to give that honor to the goalkeeper born in 1987, it is also very reasonable with what Romero has done over the past long time.

According to the available statistics: up to this point, after 17 appearances, the Argentine goalkeeper has kept a clean sheet against MU in 10 matches; the efficiency of conceding a goal is 240 minutes/goal, while his teammate De Gea is 100 minutes/goal; the rate of saves is 88%, while De Gea is 70%; another impressive number, thanks to the presence of Romero in the goal, the Old Trafford team won 13 matches and did not lose any.

In the last 3 matches against Celta Vigo (twice) and Southampton, goalkeeper Romero performed his role very well, helping the team led by coach Mourinho achieve an unbeaten record (1 win, 2 draws).

In particular, in the two important matches against Celta Vigo in the Europa League semi-finals, the Argentine goalkeeper played extremely impressively with miraculous saves that made the Spanish strikers discouraged and lose confidence. The achievement of reaching the final match in the second-tier European football arena of MU, the person who contributed the most was none other than Romero.

Goalkeeper Romero is likely to be used by coach Mourinho in the Europa League final. Photo: Internet

The successful save of Gabbiadini's penalty kick in the recent Southampton - MU match is a clear proof of Romero's excellent form in the 'red devils' shirt at the end of this year's season.

At St Mary's, the Manchester team was constantly under great pressure from coach Claude Puel's players. During the 90 minutes in the MU goal, the Argentine goalkeeper had at least 6 situations to block dangerous shots from Gabbiadini and his teammates. Although it was a 'no reward, no penalty' match, but that cannot be used to downplay Romero's excellence.

Therefore, it is normal for coach Mourinho to boldly drop De Gea to use Romero in the upcoming Europa League final. However, in football, sometimes performance and talent do not necessarily bring titles. In Romero's case, it makes many people believe in the existence of a 'curse' in football.

In addition to the gold medal with the Argentine Olympic team, the former Sampdoria and Monaco goalkeeper has missed out on the championship title three times in a row with the Argentine national team (World Cup 2014, Copa America 2015 and Copa America 2016).

It is not without reason that many MU fans felt lucky when the main striker Ibrahimovic was injured and missed the rest of this season. Everyone knows that the Swedish striker always brings 'bad luck' to his home teams in the Champions League and Europa League. That 'curse' was brought by Ibrahimovic from Ajax to Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, ​​AC Milan, PSG.

Wherever the 1981-born assassin goes, that team will win domestic trophies. The only sad thing is that Ibrahimovic's presence also means that the team that owns him will be empty-handed in European cups.

At this time, Old Trafford fans could not help but be startled when thinking about Romero's 'curse' in the finals. If the Argentine goalkeeper were like Ibrahimovic, MU's bitter ending in the final against Ajax would be inevitable.

Indeed, witnessing Romero's excellent form recently, the 'Red Devils' fans all feel secure about their team's goal every time De Gea does not put on gloves. Rationally, both Mourinho and MU fans want Romero to play in the Europa League final.

However, from a spiritual perspective, many people fear that Romero's 'curse' in the finals will come to the Old Trafford team.

Romero's excellent performance has caused De Gea to no longer be valued by coach Mourinho as before. Photo: Internet

Besides, although holding the number 1 position in the goal of the Argentina national team for nearly a decade, the 30-year-old goalkeeper has never been considered a top-class goalkeeper by experts. Just look at Romero's journey from his professional days until now.

Before being trusted by coach Mourinho at this time, the goalkeeper born in 1987 had been through teams such as Racing Club, AZ Alkmaar, Sampdoria, Monaco - all of which were not highly rated. In those places, Romero could not find a stable position for himself, so how could he survive in a fiercely competitive environment like Old Trafford.

This is not the first time Romero has been trusted to play in MU's goal. In the first matches of the 2015/2016 season, under coach Van Gaal, goalkeeper Romero played in 6 consecutive matches against Tottenham, Aston Villa, Newcastle, Swansea and Club Brugge (first and second leg of Champions League knockout) in MU's starting lineup.

Despite performing quite well in matches like MU 1-0 Tottenham, Aston Villa 0-1 MU... the mistakes in the 'red devils' 1-2 loss to Swansea took away coach Van Gaal's patience.

Through such evidence, it can be concluded that goalkeeper Romero is a rather risky choice if coach Mourinho uses him in the Europa League final against Ajax./.

Thanh Hung