Frenkie de Jong’s recent performances have stirred a question among the fans about who should start as Barcelona’s pivot. Marc Casado had cemented his place in the role after the injuries of Frenkie de Jong and Marc Bernal. However, as Frenkie’s minutes increased it became clear that there is no undisputed starting CDM for Barca.
Player profiles: Strengths and weaknesses
Marc Casado:
Marc Casado is an excellent CDM with the ability to make line-breaking passes and find forwards. Another addition to his skills is his elite defensive awareness. Hansi Flick’s playing style can often backfire by Barca getting caught on counter-attacks but Marc Casado is almost always there to shut them down before they initiate. He can cover a lot of ground in very little time and intercept any through passes from the opposition midfielders.
However, his kryptonite is man-marking and a lot of teams like Atalanta and Alaves figured that out. The youngster’s ability to progress the ball becomes limited when he is man-marked by a player.
Frenkie de Jong:
Frenkie de Jong is the answer against such teams as he is a master at escaping from areas of tight possession and driving the ball forward with his elite ball-carrying ability. Although not as successful against Atalanta where the team suffered overall, he became the point of difference against Alaves and turned the game around.
Although exceptional in his defending he might not be as good as Marc Casado in that department. Flick mentioned this in his interview after the game against Alaves saying the Dutch Maestro is “improving on his defending”.
The strategic balance
According to my observations, Hansi Flick should choose his CDM according to the opposition’s playstyle. Marc Casado will be a better option against attacking teams that aim to press aggressively and launch counters. Frenkie de Jong will be the ideal choice against teams that hope to shut down Barca’s midfield by pressing man-to-man.