A lifetime of waiting for De Jong

BarcelonaFootball sometimes awakens our darkest feelings. In just a few days, some fans have gone from celebrating at Canaletes after thrashing Athletic Bilbao to calling for a public trial against their players. because of the events at Stamford Bridge, Accusing them of betrayal. It can be frightening how cruelly players on your beloved team can be judged when the ball isn't going in. It's true that Barça floundered in London. But do we have to harshly criticize players like Fermín? Did he have an off day? No. Is it necessary to crucify him? Not at all.

You can lose at Chelsea and still bounce back. Barça is facing a difficult time because they haven't rediscovered the magic of a year ago, they miss Iñigo Martínez, and they need to get the best out of injured players, whether it's Lamine, Raphinha, or the much-missed Pedri. You can criticize the team without tearing everything apart. But some players... well, some are already the usual suspects. Araujo, for example, who we already know won't be a Puyol or a Piqué, punished by a style he doesn't adapt to and inexplicable mistakes.

Or De Jong. We criticize Araujo for what he does, and I think with the Dutchman, the problem is what he doesn't do. He's the king of meaningless statistics. He's that coworker who doesn't do anything wrong, but doesn't do anything right either. Who always stays silent in meetings, with little initiative. Who keeps to his exact work schedule and, when it's time, gets up and leaves quickly. Those employees who will never be missed when they leave. Who, without doing anything wrong, you forget. And therein lies the problem: in an office we can accept it, but not on the Barça pitch. It's not enough.

At Barça, the midfielders tell all. They make the difference, as Pedri usually does or tries to do. De Jong delivers passes coolly, runs up and down the pitch, but never decides matches. He never pushes the team forward, never creates prodigious plays. He is coldness personified as a footballer. A magnificent midfielder, but not the midfielder Barça needs. We've been waiting for the best De Jong for years. Coaches and teammates have changed. And nothing, nothing happens. He just keeps playing, adequately most of the time, and overwhelmed when the important matches arrive.

We've been waiting so many years for this former Ajax player to be a decisive midfielder that we've lost hope. We don't even remember why he came, but it seems like he's been here forever. One day we'll look back and rub our eyes at the number of matches and seasons he'll have played. And we'll try to remember a great match of his... and it will be difficult.