Hi community!
The Dutchman has made a 180 degree turn in his situation at Barcelona in the last month.
De Jong returns to Portugal, but at a completely different time to the one he experienced on 21 January. Hansi Flick was blindly betting on Casadó and Pedri, but the situation has taken a 180 degree turn. Now, the Canary Islander's partner in midfield is the Dutchman. In fact, in the group stage match he was not even on the pitch for half an hour at Da Luz, but if there are no last-minute surprises, he will be a starter tonight.
https://www.grada3.com/2025/02/26/frenkie-de-jong-premier-barca/
After those 28 minutes against Benfica, his role changed. In the last nine games, he has started in six. Now, the Dutchman is the starter alongside Pedri. In fact, in this last stretch, he rested against Alavés thinking about the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey against Valencia. He also stayed on the bench in Las Palmas, since the next game was the first leg of the semifinals of the knockout tournament against Atlético de Madrid. And he did not start on Saturday against Real Sociedad, presumably because of the commitment this Wednesday.
The international has had a difficult season, but he has been smiling again for just over a month. An ankle injury, which he suffered last season and which left him without the European Championship, did not allow him to start the season at the same time as his teammates and has taken its toll. The first time De Jong was called up was for the match against Young Boys on 1 October, a game in which he played 15 minutes.
But the Dutchman was not comfortable and his first start did not come until the Champions League match against Red Star at the beginning of November. And he was back in the starting eleven the following match against Real Sociedad. De Jong, however, was not yet 100% and was not the player of previous seasons. After the match against the San Sebastian side, the international played six games as a substitute, already in the final stretch, and two more without adding a single minute.
See You soon!
Posted Using INLEO