Frenkie de Jong’s performance is convincing more and more Barcelona followers that he is the ideal heir to the throne of Sergio Busquets. In El Mundo Deportivo, the Orange international is praised after his strong performance against Sevilla (3-0), on the spot of Busquets.
Xavi was forced to shift in the opening phase on Sunday evening. Busquets was out in the eighth minute with an ankle injury and Franck Kessié was brought in. The Ivorian took on the role of De Jong and the 25-year-old Dutchman stepped back to take control as a playmaker for the defense.
Sergio Busquets’ heir
“Even though he was the first man for defense, Frenkie was also the one who completed the most passes in the attacking third after Pedri,” El Mundo Deportivo analyzed. “De Jong was the lifesaver for Xavi in a key position. He kept the pace high and unbalanced the opponent.”
The midfielder receives compliments for his part in Barcelona’s third goal. That goal was scored by Raphinha and the assist was by Jordi Alba, but De Jong’s role is not overlooked. They added, “In American sports, more attention is paid to the person who put the man in position on the last pass. If that is better kept here, De Jong would stand out as the man who takes care of the openings. De Jong’s pass to Alba was reminiscent of the way Messi, Xavi and Iniesta launched Dani Alves in their period. The back then usually had enough contact with the ball to pass, after which a goal was scored. For example, an opponent was beaten with a few ball contacts.”
There is a good chance that Xavi will choose De Jong as number 6 in the coming matches. In the absence of Busquets. Busquets is expected to need two to three weeks to recover. The 34-year-old Spaniard suffered a sprained ankle against Sevilla. The leader of Spain will play against Villarreal on Sunday evening. Four days later, the first game in the double confrontation with Manchester United in the Europa League is scheduled. Barcelona management would come under immense pressure if and when Busquets and De Jong depart this summer.
