When Frenkie de Jong arrived at Barcelona, there were big expectations around him. The Dutch maestro was a central part of the 2018/2019 Ajax that surprised Europe. A 4-1 dismantling of Real Madrid at the Bernabéu was a statement to their magical run in the Champions League.
Arrival at a chaotic Barca
Although Ajax got knocked out by Tottenham in the semi-finals, Barcelona had taken notice of Frenkie de Jong. For âŹ75m Barca bought him over as they had hopes they had found their next Xavi. However, the Dutch maestro had arrived at a broken Barcelona that was struggling with financial problems, change of managers, and instability. Frenkie still showed sparks of genius, getting past defenders with ease and driving the ball forward. But when he had to play out of position as a pivot and sometimes even as a centre-back, Frenkie looked dull and not up to the expectations. Reports came out of his high salary and fans started doubting if keeping him at Barca is the best option. Injuries clearly didn’t help the midfielder as he missed major parts of the season.
The slow start under Flick
After Hansi Flick’s arrival, Frenkie de Jong was still recovering from an injury. And so he Flick looked to La Masia for a replacement. The academy did not disappoint and provided Marc Casado after Marc Bernal got injured. Casado fit into Flick’s system perfectly. He had the ability to shut down counterattacks and close down opponents while also having excellent vision to initiate counterattacks for his own team. His intense defensive security is something Frenkie does not possess as the Dutch midfielder was benched by Flick.
Flick realizes Frenkie’s greatness
As the season progressed, there came a period where Barca’s goal machine was stopped by pragmatic teams in La Liga. Flick’s side struggled to progress the ball and create chances against teams with a low block. The German manager was already aware of Frenkie’s quality as he saw it in training on a regular basis. Frenkie came on for Barca as a sub and changed the game every time. Masterclasses against teams with a tight defense gave fans hope of a revival of Frenkie’s quality. Now the Dutch maestro has gained his spot back in the starting lineup as he thrives in Flick’s double pivot with Pedri.