Romeu, the new Makelele: Chelsea have their very own slice of Barcelona
Watch Oriol Romeu effortlessly pop the ball around the Stamford Bridge pitch for the evening and it is not hard to see why Barcelona insisted on a buy-back clause when they sold their midfielder to Chelsea in the summer.
In a transfer window which delivered A-lister Juan Mata, the already established Raul Meireles and Didier Drogba wannabe Romelu Lukaku, Chelsea fans might have overlooked the fact that Andre Villas-Boas also signed the 20-year-old.
They will not forget him now, after the Spaniard excelled in his second start for the club, producing a pretty good impression of former Chelsea favourite Claude Makelele.
You can tell that Romeu has come from Barcelona. Every pass is simple, finds its man and is delivered with minimum fuss.
His favourite trick is to pass the ball quickly back to the man who has just passed to him before moving into space again. He is oozing tikitaka, Barcelona's one-touch style of play.
Romeu wanted the ball all night, regularly dropping deep to receive possession before stroking yet another intelligent 10- or 15-yard ball to a blue shirt in space.
It was all done with such ease, barely more than a jog needed all night.
Then there is the tackling. Chelsea's No 6 generally handled that role well, rousing a crowd who have long harboured doubts about John Mikel Obi's long-term place in the first XI.
Of course, he will not always have it as easy as it was against a dreadful and passive Genk side. If he gets the chance to go head to head with Joey Barton on Sunday at Loftus Road, we will find out just how good he is.
So why is he not still at Barcelona? Javier Mascherano is the simple answer. His arrival made it almost impossible for Romeu to get into a team already boasting Sergio Busquets and Xavi.
But the buy-back clause of £9million at the end of this season or £13m at the end of next tells you how highly Pep Guardiola rates Romeu.
He does not want another Cesc Fabregas situation. Chelsea need not worry about that for now.
Have they found their new Makelele? If his dreadful shanked shot into row Z in the first half is anything to go by, they most definitely have.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2051162/Oriel-Romeu-new-Claude-Makelele-Chelsea.html
Personally it is a bit of exaggeration but it hits the right chords at most places.