Pere Romeu did not let Barcelona’s 0-4 win at Sevilla pass as a simple success story. With Barça set to face Atlético de Madrid in Liga F, he said the result was convincing but the performance was not, and that he wants much more control on Saturday.
The match between Barça and Atlético de Madrid is scheduled for the third jornada of Liga F 2026-27 at the Estadi Johan Cruyff at 19:00 on Saturday 12 September, with DAZN set to broadcast it. It arrives after Barcelona opened the season with two emphatic wins, 5-0 against Tenerife and then 0-4 at Sevilla, form that has kept the pressure on Romeu’s squad from the start.
Romeu was blunt about what he saw in Sevilla. He said the game did not please him “despite the emphatic scoreline,” adding that Barcelona lacked the control he likes, with imprecisions, heat, poor grass conditions and a squad affected by absences. For a team that has started with two big wins, the point was not the margin. It was the level of authority behind it.
That is why Saturday’s game matters beyond the points at stake. Romeu expects “a great match, a control match,” but he also warned that Atlético de Madrid can hurt teams in offensive transitions. He pointed to Luan and Jensen, and possibly Amaiur, as players who are very fast and powerful when Atlético break into space, which is why he said Barcelona must be very aggressive in midfield to recover the ball.
There is also a larger weight to the fixture. Barça and Atlético de Madrid have shared the last ten league titles between them, and Romeu’s message fits that standard: Barcelona are expected to win everything, but the dressing room’s unity and sense of belonging are part of what he says gives him confidence. The challenge now is whether that confidence shows up as the control he wants, not just another scoreline that looks comfortable from the outside.
Barcelona go into Saturday having already shown they can overwhelm opponents. Romeu has made it clear that against Atlético de Madrid, overwhelm will not be enough if the team cannot dictate the match.
