David Raum on Rômulo vs. Šeško: How RB Leipzig’s new striker has changed their game

LEIPZIG ( Bulinews ): Brazilian forward Rômulo has been a bit hit since joining RB Leipzig from Turkish side Göztepe last summer, scoring six goals and providing three assists in 13 Bundesliga games so far.

The 23-year-old was brought in to fill the void left by Benjamin Šeško, who was sold to Manchester United , and RB Leipzig captain David Raum believes there is a notable difference between playing with the two forwards.

“Everyone thought I just needed to bring the balls to Šeško because he could jump to the second floor and everything. It’s nothing against him, but Rômulo is very, very clever in the box. Maybe he can’t jump to the second floor, but he has this special talent to know where the ball is going," Raum told Bulinews.com during a media round in Leipzig.

While Šeško had obvious qualities, he still had room to grow in terms of making the most of them, according to Raum.

“Šeško sometimes wanted to go to the far post, jump and shoot with his leg in the air or something, to do something special. He’s still a very young player and he will learn from it because I always told him that if he could use his strength better – his jumping power, his physicality – he would score more."

As Raum points out, Rômulo is not just a goalscorer, but a key part of Leipzig’s passing play and build-up as well.

“It's is so much fun with ‘Rom’ this season because I always know I can play the ball to him – and not just cross it,” said Raum.

"He’s always in front of his opponent, and he’s the type of striker who makes players around him stronger and better, because he takes two touches and finds good solutions.

“If we’re in a counter-attack and he’s alone, he slows the game down and holds the ball for the rest of us to join. He’s a young player, he’s very quiet, but he always knows what he’s doing and how he can help the team. He’s a very clever guy, and I’m very happy we signed him.”

Bulinews.com spoke with Romulo after Leipzig’s 1-5 defeat to Bayern Munich at the weekend, in which he scored his side’s first-half opener.

“We played very well for most of the game, but we need to do so for 90 minutes. If we play like we did in the first half, I think we can beat anyone,” said Rômulo , who took little comfort in scoring for the second Bundesliga game in a row given the disappointing result.

“Scoring is positive, but we didn't win, so that's not good. I prefer winning to scoring. But if I score, that puts us closer to winning, so I hope to continue like this.”

The 23-year-old Brazilian forward will look to get on the scoresheet once again when RB Leipzig travel to Heidenheim on Saturday.