Hansi Flick's latest miracle

BarcelonaSeven years after arriving at Barça, Frenkie de Jong played one of his best matches at the Metropolitano in the blue and garnet shirt. And that's despite only being on the pitch for 45 minutes. First as a full-back and then as a pivot, the Dutchman perfectly fulfilled everything Hansi Flick asked of him. And, most importantly, everything the team needed to take home the three points against Atlético de Madrid, a direct rival for the League. A performance that received unanimous recognition from the dressing room and that could mark a turning point.

"He is very good, that bastard. He can play in many different positions and he has shown it once again. He is a team player, he did very well and we are very happy with the performance he had," Gavi, who played a few minutes in Madrid, praised him on Esport3. De Jong has always been a footballer praised by the dressing room and respected by all the coaches, who have always trusted him. On the other hand, misunderstood by a public opinion that questions whether his game really adapts to the Barça style. A trend that is starting to turn around thanks to his latest performances, where he has played as a pivot, as a centre-back and, against Atlético, as a full-back.

The decision was cooked up during the week. It was Flick's tactical response to the defensive problems of a Barça team with many absences in the back line. On Sunday he recovered Christensen and Eric Garcia, but not to start—they played 30 and 15 minutes, respectively—in such a demanding scenario. De Jong, who recently recovered from a knee injury, could start, but the coach doubted he could last the full 90 minutes. Flick needed control and thought it was better to have it in the second half rather than the first, where the goal was to hold on at all costs with Bernal as the pivot and Fariñas and Cancelo as full-backs. The reality is that Barça arrived at halftime alive by a miracle.

Flick needed control and executed the plan that he had proposed to the player a few days earlier. "I asked him if he would be willing to play in that position and he replied that if the team needed him there, he would be there". He came on in place of Fariñas and, when Bernal said he had had enough, he moved to the middle. The coach's move was masterful, Barça effectively recovered the ball and Bernal, who initially only had to last 15 minutes, was able to play 30 in the second half. "It was the right decision, we improved the intensity that we didn't have in the first half", added the coach, who went from being a bag of nerves to locking the opponent in their own half and not letting them out.

Immaculate statistics for De Jong at the Metropolitano

With De Jong, Barça had much more consistency in playing the ball out. He provided security to the team and did not commit errors, especially at fullback, where he sacrificed his excursions for a more positional game. The statistics confirm the good impressions he left on the pitch, where he made 71 interventions, 33 as a fullback and 38 as a midfielder, according to data from TdT de Catalunya Ràdio. He played 29 minutes on the wing, meaning he intervened once every minute, on average. But as a pivot, pairing with Pedri, the Dutchman played 16 minutes as a midfielder, intervening 2.4 times per minute. Barça's control was practically absolute and the Atlético de Madrid players, exhausted, could do nothing more than run behind the ball without generating danger. The Dutchman, who will now reunite with Xavi Hernández during the international break, also added nine recoveries in just half a game.

The question is what will happen from now on with De Jong, who experienced a confrontation with the club in the summer over the management of the injury he suffered at the last World Cup. The former Ajax player, instead of informing Barça's medical staff immediately, went on vacation and lost 15 days that were key to the diagnosis and recovery. The gesture was not liked at all and even Flick stripped him of the captaincy. But the coach, who can boast of his skills in managing the dressing room, has managed to redirect the situation and reincorporate the footballer onto the pitch again. "He has shown that he can play anywhere, now he needs to show that he can offer this performance with consistency," they point out from Sant Joan Despí, happy but still with a touch of suspicion, because until very recently they were pulling strings to find him an exit.