I love his playing style, but also the kind of person he is. He has a perfect profile for Barça, and he also stands out for his character and personality.
Flick has played quite a bit of 4-3-3 lately, or at least a similar version of it with Dani Olmo as a pseudo number 8 and Fermín López playing a little bit closer to the midfield instead of a second striker, but what we actually get in that setup is a very attacking 4-1-4-1 with Frenkie as the single pivot. It worked wonders against Elche recently, but it also asks way too much of Frenkie.
Ahead of kickoff, manager Hansi Flick announced the starting lineup for the game, with some surprises. The biggest one, perhaps, was that Frenkie de Jong was left out of the team by the Barcelona manager, despite the Dutchman's top performances in recent weeks. Instead, he has opted for the midfield trident of Marc Casado, Dani Olmo, and Fermin Lopez. "Frenkie de Jong is not at 100%, and that's why he's on the bench and isn't playing today," confirmed the Barcelona manager.
One of the most heartwarming moments during the celebrations came when senior midfielder Frenkie de Jong called young prospect Tommy Marques to click a picture together with the trophy. It was a nice touch from De Jong, given that the La Masia gem had gone on record a few months ago naming the Dutchman as one of his idols. Flick trusts the 'other Frenkie' Meanwhile, in the background, Pau Cubarsi, who was watching from close by, joked: "Two Frenkies, two Frenkies!"
There were several challenges that caught the eye in the match, not least Raul Asencio's hack on Pedri that resulted in a yellow card for the Real Madrid man. Former referee Iturralde González has analyzed the footage and feels Asencio was lucky to escape with just a booking. "Asencio's challenge on Pedri, in my opinion, is more of a red card than a yellow," he told Carrusel Deportivo.
With the Financial Fair Play overhang still present, the club might resort to the sale of at least one big player in order to generate the margins required to return to the 1:1 rule. For the longest time, Frenkie de Jong had been seen as someone who could leave Barcelona, and the midfielder had even been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia in the past. De Jong inquired about Saudi Arabia In a fresh twist, though, Al Ittihad sporting director Ramon Planes has revealed that De Jong has already inquired about life in Saudi Arabia to his national teammate and Al Ittihad player Steven Bergwijn. "Frenkie asked me how I'm doing here," Planes told Catalunya Radio (h/t Mundo Deportivo), citing Al Ittihad player Bergwijn.
The Frenkie de Jong-Pedri pivot has done largely well this season and was the manager's go-to midfield combination at the beginning of the season. The duo excelled in a technical sense and were unplayable through the middle, given their superiority in possession. Notably, both Pedri and De Jong were unavailable when Barcelona last faced Athletic Club. It was the night when the team played their first game back at Spotify Camp Nou, and the Dutchman was suspended while the Canary Islander was injured.
La Roja secured their place in the finals on Tuesday night against Turkey and will likely have a squad packed full of Barca players jetting across the Atlantic for the tournament. Lamine Yamal missed the latest call-up but will be expected to play a key role,
