Andreas Christensen has finally returned from injury and has even made a few appearances for Barcelona. The Danish midfielder had been out of action for more than a year because of an injury. However, in the few minutes that Christensen has played, he has shown great promise for his days under Hansi Flick.
Araujo as a backup and its flaws
Ronald Araujo has been a backup for Inigo Martinez and Cubarsi this season. The Uruguayan has done a relatively good job in fulfilling his role. However, there have been some defects in his defense. Hansi Flick prefers to play a high defensive line, with his defenders close to the halfway line. A long way from the traditional centre-back style, this role requires excellent game intelligence and on-the-ball abilities. The defenders must be able to make quick decisions on the ball, while also being perfect in their timing to trap opponents in an offside position. Inigo Martinez and Cubarsi demonstrated this in the first Clasico of the season. Araujo is still to master this role and has shown signs of incompetence throughout the season. The most important and recent of his mistakes came against Inter in the decisive semifinal 2nd leg when Acerbi equalised to take the game to extra time.
Is Christensen the perfect Centre-back for Flick’s style?
Andreas Christensen has only played 226 minutes this season in La Liga for Barcelona. However, the little time he has played and his history at the club suggest that he can be a key defender under Hansi Flick. The Danish defender has excellent on-the-ball ability, which makes him ideal for Hansi Flick’s style of play. He is also a very intelligent footballer, and in the little time that he has played, he has executed the offside trap perfectly. Christensen is 29 years old, which is the time when defenders are at the peak of their powers, with a lot of experience and still enough physical and full of agility. Barcelona has put the Jonathan Tah operation on pause, and one of the reasons might be Christensen’s return from injury. With the Danish defender in the squad together with Araujo, Inigo Martinez, and CubarsĂ, Barcelona can save a lot of money for the other positions they need to reinforce. Signing a winger, a right-back, and a striker will be a better option than spending their money on a defender.
Andreas Christensen is a world-class defender whom the fans should not underestimate. He can provide Barcelona with a lot of quality in the back line for many years to come.