Under Barros Schelotto, Romero went from captain and scorer to bit-part | OneFootball

The 2024 championship-winning Fortín striker lost ground after his injury, and Guillermo didn’t beat around the bush: today Florián Monzón is doing better. “It’s a footballing decision,” the coach said to shut down the rumors.

In the Vélez world, the news caused a stir. After finally getting the monkey off their back with a much-needed win over Deportivo Armenio in the Copa Argentina, all eyes turned to one place: the bench. Braian Romero, a key piece in the 2024 title run and who started the year wearing the captain’s armband, now seems to have fallen down in Guillermo Barros Schelotto’s pecking order.

The striker had started the year as an undisputed starter, but a hamstring tear kept him off the field for a couple of matches and, since returning, he has never been able to reclaim his place in the starting eleven. He came on for a few minutes against Tigre to rescue the team with a penalty, but against Riestra he didn’t even make an appearance, and against Armenio it was striking that he didn’t get a single minute even with the match already wrapped up.

Once the match in Sarandí was over, the Twin held nothing back when asked about the former River player. True to his direct style, the coach made it clear that it comes down to performances: “There’s a teammate we see as better, and that’s the footballing and tactical decision: for Florián to play”, confirming that Florián Monzón is the starter as things stand today.

To avoid causing too much of a stir, Guillermo clarified that Braian is still dealing with ankle discomfort and that, with the match already decided, he didn’t see any need to risk him. However, the reality is that Monzón has been in fine scoring form (three goals in his last six matches), and youngster Dilan Godoy is also pushing for a chance after getting on the scoresheet in the cup.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.