So far, Frenkie de Jong has only played a supporting role at FC Barcelona this season. Xavi put him in the starting XI on Thursday evening – which the midfielder rewarded with a very good performance.
For the first time this season, Frenkie de Jong has been allowed to play in two consecutive games from the starting XI for Barcelona. The Dutchman had only played a comparatively small role under Xavi before.
The 25-year-old paid back the trust he had apparently regained. In the 70 minutes he was on the pitch against Villarreal, he had over 90 ball actions and a passing accuracy of 95 percent. In addition, a 100 percent success rate with his long passes, dribbles and his ten tackles.
He was also of great importance on defense: he was able to set five tackles, and he never lost the ball once and was never dribbled over. An all-round successful performance, which brought him a lot of praise.
“Frenkie was very good today. He played a perfect game, I’m really happy for him,” commented Xavi after the final whistle. “He can play as a pivot but today he was particularly creative because Villarreal’s 4-4-2 system gave Frenkie the freedom – he did it very well. We didn’t have any problems defensively or in transitions, which is a very good sign.” If such a performance doesn’t prompt a rethink about the core midfielder, then what will?
De Jong himself was also very satisfied with the game, although he rather emphasized the importance of winning after the recent defeats.
“After what happened against Inter and Real, it was important to win today – and Villarreal are a good team too,” he explained. As usual, he held back his desired position: “I don’t care where I play, I’m happy when I have the ball at my feet, like today.”
His replacement was just a precautionary measure, he made it clear several times. The signal: Before the important weeks in the league and the premier class, before the World Cup break, de Jong would like to play more games from the starting XI. He could definitely apply for that.
This article was originally published on 90min.com as Crazy Stats: Frenkie de Jong with Masterclass vs Villarreal.
